The White Wolf of Icicle Creek
by Ij500
Summary: Join Leo, Po, Tigress, and Donnie as they travel to the Canadian Rockies, solve a series of accidents at Icicle Creek Lodge, and tangle with a white wolf. (Story based Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek computer game)
1. Arriving at the Lodge

**Author's Note: Plot rights belong to Her Interactive company. Character rights belong to their respective creators.**

 **Arriving at the Lodge**

 **Leo's P.O.V.**

Alright, we've arrived here in Alberta, Canada. Just have to wait for Ollie to get here and take us.

"Think he's here Leo?"

"He will be, if not already."

"Look over there!"

We turned and saw a black panther, wearing a cowboy hat, leather jacket, jeans, boots, and gloves heading towards us.

"I take it you guys are the Cluefinders?"

"Depends, are you Ollie?"

"You bet i am."

"Then, you found us. Chantal told us you'd be waiting for us."

"Sure, let's just get going already."

We put our suitcases in the trunk of Ollie's truck and got in. He then took us on the road to Icicle Creek Lodge.

"Hey Leo, you never told us what this was about. You said you would tell us when we meet up with Ollie."

"Yeah, i'm really excited for what this mystery is about."

"I know, i know. I was just about to tell you guys."

I explained to Donnie, Po, and Tigress the reason we came here. A woman by the name of Chantal Moique had called asking for the Cluefinders to help her with her dilemma. A series of accidents have been taking place at Icicle Creek Lodge and she wanted us to find out what's causing them. She was on her way to Edmonton to meet with her lawyers so Ollie Randall, her handyman picked us up at the airport. She also said something about a wolf, but the connection broke before she could say much more.

"When Chantal told me you were young kids, I thought she was just pulling my leg. But you're not much older 'n my little girl Freddie."

"Well, if one of the people at the Lodge is to blame for all those accidents, Chantal thinks somebody like us has a better chance of figuring out who it is than somebody more... you know, hard-nosed." I explained.

"Chantal has a bad habit of making up her mind without thinking things clear through. No need for you to tell her I said that, of course."

"Is she still in Edmonton?" Tigress asked

"'Fraid so. Insurance company's giving her and her lawyers a real hard time. Left running the Lodge up to me. Which is why i'm not real crazy 'bout the idea of having somebody new underfoot. 'Specially if something else happens."

"We won't be underfoot, Mr. Randall. We may be younger than you thought, but we're no rookies when it comes to solving mysteries." Donnie spoke

"We're here, so you'll get to prove yourselves soon enough."

**A long, faint Howl**

"You hear that?"

"Yep."

"Sure did."

"Think it's the wolf you spoke about, Leo?"

"Don't know, maybe."

Just then, we heard another noise.

"Well now, what was that...?"

Shortly after, we saw an explosion up ahead somewhere in the forest. After arriving at the Lodge, and getting some sleep for the night, we came to the front desk first thing and Ollie called Chantal.

 _"Was anyone in the bunkhouse when it exploded?"_

"No ma'am, everyone here at the lodge is accounted for."

 _"That's where Elsa and Becky had been living. Guess it was a good thing they quit after all. Elsa was my maid and Becky was my cook. Does the Sheriff have any idea why the bunkhouse exploded?"_

"He said he'd know more after the lab was done running tests on the debris he'd collected." Tigress explained

"He did say the blast was pretty powerful." Po added.

"One of his deputies found the knob to the back door clear on the highway."

 _"That does it. Cluefinders, you have to find out who or what is behind these incidents and you have to do it fast."_

"You sure you don't want to give your daddy a call?" Ollie suggested.

 _"My dad runs a whole chain of resorts, Ollie. If you think i'm gonna admit to him that i can't handle running just one, guess again. Besides, the Cluefinders come highly recommended and i'm sure they have a foolproof plan for getting to the bottom of this. Don't you guys?"_

"Well, what if you let us be your staff?"

Ollie was surprised to hear that and there was a short silence from Chantal.

 _"My staff?"_

"Of course," Tigress spoke. "That would give us access to everyone's room, and we could question people without making them overly suspicious."

I couldn't believe what i was hearing and so was Po and Donnie.

 _"Oh, yeah... That's an excellent idea. All right, you can be my new staff and my new cooks too."_

"Cooks?"

 _"That way Ollie can stop pretending he can read a recipe, let alone follow one, you'll have even more excuses to talk to the guests, and i won't have to pay anyone!_ _"_

"Why, i think that's a fine idea ma'am." Ollie said with a smile on his face.

 _"Now we're not taking anymore guests until this accident thing is cleared up, so i want you all to make sure the four guests we have are well taken care of. Especially that Olympic caliber cross-country skier from Fredonia, Yanni Volkstaia. The flair he brings to the Lodge is just what i need to attract the European jet-setting crowd."_

"I'm gonna be pretty busy trying to get rid of that wolf, Chantal."

"Yeah, we heard it howl last night, just before the bunkhouse blew up." Po said

 _"Well, do whatever you have to do, Ollie. Oh, and Leo, i want you to call this police detective I've hired as a consultant. I put his phone number on the phone at the Lodge. His name is Tino Balducci."_

 _**Knocks on Door**_

 _"I gotta go, my lawyers here. Good luck, you guys. And keep me posted! Coming!"_

She then hung up the phone.

"I'll get you all Master Keys and leave one in each of your rooms. If any of you need anything else, i'll be in the basement."

Ollie then got the Master Keys and went up to the rooms. We stayed near the desk.

"So what's the plan Leo?"

"Po, you be the cook. I'm sure you learned new foods to cook back in Animal City."

"Yeah, it's not the traditional Chinese food back in China, but i still do impressive." He bragged.

"Let's head to our rooms and see what we have to do."

We went up to our rooms and passed Ollie, but nobody said anything as we went into our rooms. Donnie and Tigress went into their room and me and Po went into ours. We found the key on the nightstand along with a paper showing room assignments, and a list of our duties as Chantal's staff.

Room assignments:

Pish Pish: Bill Kesler

Eena: Lou Talbot

Chinook: Me and Po

Ollalie: Guadalupe Comillo

Kalakala: Yanni Volstaia

Kwel Kwel: Donnie and Tigress

"Here's our master keys and the list of duties."

**Knocks on Door**

"Oh hey guys."

"Got your keys?"

"Yep. Did you get a list of chores?"

"Definitely."

"I'll handle the maid duties." Tigress said

"There's also skating pond maintenance, i'll handle that." Donnie said

"Okay, there's also chances of avalanches so be careful D."

"We each have copies of the list of responsibilities, so let's get situated, greet the guests, and warm up."

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	2. Getting started at the Lodge

**Exploring the Lodge and getting started**

 **Tigress' P.O.V.**

Okay, so now that we have a plan, we'll have to take it one step at a time. For now, we were gonna look on the computer for intel.

"Okay, so let's see here. What can you tell us?" Donnie said. "Employee instructions, we already have those. Oh, guest log."

Donnie pulled up the guest log and it showed the list of guests, the length of their stay here at the lodge, address, rooms, and phone numbers.

"Okay, so without counting us, 7 guests had been staying at the lodge and 3 checked out." Po said

"I'll write down the numbers."

I located a pad full of sticky note and a pen and wrote down the numbers:

Carl Jenkins: 312-555-7547

Faringdale: 551-555-7425

Derek Southwaite: 418-555-7387

"Let's check the previous year." (BEEP) "Deleted? What the shell?"

"Okay, okay, let's not lose your cool okay?"

Typical of Po to make a joke.

"Very funny. Why did they delete the content of last year?"

"We'll worry about that later, let's look at the other stuff on here."

Donnie clicked on a snowflake and it brought up a chart related to Hypothermia. There's a meter beside the entrance and there were four colors:

Green: It's safe to go out

Yellow: Take caution not to stay out too long

Orange: High risk of Hypothermia

Red: Too dangerous and Hypothermia can happen in seconds

"I don't have to tell us all that if we get too cold and it's orange, get back inside."

"Agreed." We all said.

"Well, i got to take care of the laundry. Keep me posted."

"Got it."

I grabbed the laundry bag out of the closet and went back up stairs. I went to Yanni's room first and quickly saw how messy the bed was.

"Yeesh, can't he show a little respect?"

I put the pillow back at the head of the bed and straightened out the sheets. I turned and saw a sports magazine on the desk. I went and picked it up and read it. _'Winter Sports Monthly'_. Blah, blah, blah sports stuff. Just a sports fan, nothing of importance. I grabbed the washcloths and towels, put them in the laundry and went to Lou Talbot's room directly across. He had a book titled _'The Call of the Wild'_ and the cover had a picture of a wolf. He also had a tool kit on the floor.

"Huh, wonder why he needs these?"

I closed the box back up, straightened his room, took the cloths and towels and left. I went to Guadalupe Comillo's room third, and she had a magazine like Yanni, but her magazine was focused on Yanni himself. His picture was on the front cover when i saw the magazine. I cleaned her room and finally went to Bill Kesler's room. He had a few books, but nothing stood out. After cleaning his room, i went to the laundry chute and dumped the bag with all the washcloths and towels in it. I then went back downstairs. Donnie was still at the computer, but Leo and Po weren't there.

"Where did Leo and Po run off too?"

"Po's in the kitchen, getting a feel of the place and Leo's talking Ollie down in the basement."

Just then i noticed a crumpled up piece of paper on the ground.

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

I picked up the paper and opened it.

"Looks like Elsa's resignation letter."

I opened up the closet to take a closer look and saw more. The first one i opened...

"Looks like Elsa was having major boyfriend troubles."

"How do you know that?"

"There's more letters in this closet. This one is written in red and her boyfriend is venting his frustration. This next letter, he's more calm. This last one, he's expressing his adoration."

"Hmm, love to hate in just three letters."

"Yeah, that's why dating can be overrated sometimes."

"Yet, you're dating my brother Raph."

Tigress let out a little growl and Donnie heard it, thus keeping his mouth shut.

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

Leo was in the basement talking to Ollie.

"You think the wolf is causing the accidents?"

"Not a doubt in my mind. Everything was A-OK until it showed up and started howling. It's bad luck. And something is protecting it. Something... unnatural."

"What makes you say that?"

"Yesterday i went looking for it. I tracked it and finally found it, sitting across the creek, not 20 yards away from me, just staring at me. So i raised my rifle, drew a bead, and fired. Easiest shot I've ever taken in my life. And i missed. So i fired again, and i missed. Then i missed again, and again. All the while, it just sat there, staring until finally it just stood up, walked toward the brush as calm as can be, and disappeared. Wild animals just don't act like that. And i just don't miss like that. There's something real weird about that wolf. And i won't rest until i get rid of it. So maybe we should find something else to jaw about."

It was obvious that Ollie had a grudge against the wolf and wasn't going to give up on the matter.

"You met my little girl yet?"

"Nope, but you mentioned her last night. Name was... Freddie?"

"Yep, spends most of her time outside. She built herself a little snow fort. Just sits out there waiting for somebody to go by so she can pick a snowball fight with 'em. I keep asking her how she manages to stay warm all day, but she won't tell me. Says she's got a 'secret weapon'. Yeah, she's something."

"I'll bet." Leo chuckled and the two shared a laugh. Ollie then got back to working on the wolf trap "By the way, can you tell me more about the accidents that happened here?"

"Nope, sure can't."

"Can't or Don't want to?"

"Chantal and her lawyers said i can't talk about them incidents. Supposed to direct all questions to her. Sorry."

"How long have you worked for her anyway?"

"A year and half. I was her first hire, and best hire too. I could run this place single-handed if i had too. Just like i'm doing now."

"The first time i talked to Chantal, she mentioned you used to be a rancher. Do you miss being a rancher?"

Ollie then stopped working on the trap.

"Yeah, a little. Tough life, though. Used to own my own spread 'bout 15 years ago. Well, bank owned most of it. 'N after 2 bad winters and 1 bone dry summer, bank owned all of it. But I've learned a whole lot since then. I could make it work now. Just need to find the right property, and get my hands on enough cash to make a down payment, that's all."

"Does your wife - Freddie's mom - does she live here too?"

"In the summer she does, but in the winter she goes south. See, she's got this nerve condition that makes her real sensitive to cold. Freddie'd like to go with her, but until Chantal stops putting off that raise she promised me, sending Freddie south too is outta the question."

"Okay, well thanks for your time."

"See you later."

Ollie went back to working on the trap, and Leo saw Yannia, a moose working on his skis.

"Excuse me, Yanni?"

"Oh no!"

"What?"

"You - you are what is wrong. Chantal said there would be no more guests to make noise and disturb my training. Yet what stands before me? A new guest!"

"I'm not a guest, i'm part of the new staff. Chantal hired me."

"Oh, forgive me. Allow me to start over. I am Yanni Volkstaia. I am here to train for the Eastern European Cross-Country Championship. I spend my days doing interval work, drills and isometric exercises. I follow a strict program, one paintstakingly designed by a team of the best coaches in Fredonia. In fact... Under no circumstances are you to use your key to let anyone into my room. My competitors are constantly spying on me, trying to steal my techniques."

"You think someone's spying on you out here?"

"One can never be too careful. So know this - If anything is missing or so much as out of place in my room, you can expect a visit from me. And it won't be a pleasant one."

"Have you ever seen the wolf?"

"No. For which I'm very grateful. In my country, in Fredonia, it is said that the gaze of the wolf will make you go blind."

"Do you actually believe that?"

"They are creatures of infinite evil, and that is all i'm going to say on the matter."

"I hear a major cross-country skiing competition will take place in this area in a couple of years."

"This is very true. It will rival the Olympics."

"That the real reason you're here?"

"As long as i have to train, why not train where i must eventually put that training to use? As we say in Fredonia, i am simply milking two goats with one bucket."

 _'Two birds with one stone, he means.'_

"Besides, my competitors will stop at nothing to defeat me. I am forced to seek out and exploit every possible advantage open to me. I take no pride in some of the things I've done to bring victory to my country. But i have no choice."

"Well, I've disturbed you long enough."

"We'll talk again, i'm sure."

Leo then left the basement and came across Donnie and Tigress. Donnie was wearing snow boots, jeans, a purple coat, gloves, purple scarf and purple hat. Tigress was wearing snow boots, black jeans, a yellow coat, red earmuffs, mittens.

"Going outside?"

"Yeah, we talked to Bill Kesler and Lou Talbot. They asked us to shovel the snow on the pond so they can compete in some speed skating. Plus, we got a little insight about them."

"Like what?"

"When Bill Kesler told us that he wanted to do some ice fishing, the wolf is where they had different opinions. Bill thinks the wolf should be taken care, and Lou disagrees. Since the wolf didn't hurt anyone yet, he says everyone should just leave it alone." Tigress explained

"Well, Ollie and Yanni Volkstaia seem to think so. Ollie once found the wolf and tried to kill it, but his rifle was acting up and not a single shot hit the wolf."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's says that he doesn't just miss like that. He thinks something 'unnatural' is protecting the wolf."

"What did Yanni say about the wolf?"

"All he would say is that the wolf is nothing but evil."

"Man of few words, well anyway, if you need us, you know how to reach us." Donnie said and the two left to go outside. Leo went to the front desk and dialed Chantal's number.

 _"Hello?"_

"Hi, Chantal, it's me Leo."

 _"You know who's behind the accidents?"_

"No, not yet."

 _"Oh."_

"But that's why i'm calling. I asked Ollie about them, but he told me you said he wasn't allowed to talk about them."

 _"I didn't mean he couldn't talk about them with you. Ugh, i'll give him a call. As for the accidents, the first was the worst. The Faringdale family and Becky the cook all came down with food poisoning and had to be hospitalized. The potato salad got contaminated, although Becky swears it wasn't because of anything she did."_

Leo was surprised to hear that the victims became ill roughly at the same time, while being scattered all over the Lodge.

 _"Anyway, then Carl Jenkins slipped on the stairs outside and broke his leg, Lou Talbot's window was broken, Elsa the maid's tires were slashed, the phone wires were cut, and then... oh, yeah, and then the Southwaites were almost overcome by fumes when gas leaked into the sauna."_

"But the only incidents you can be sure were sabotage were the tires, the phone wires, and maybe the explosion in the bunkhouse?"

 _"I'm not sure about anything. That's why you're there, you and your friends - to sort everything out before something else happens."_

"Well, I also noticed how some photos from the display case in the lobby are missing."

 _"Really? Last i looked they were all there. I think."_

"The caption for them says something like 'Young and old have stayed at Icicle Creek Lodge...'"

 _"I can't remember what they were pictures of. And i sure don't know why they'd be missing."_

"Well, what about the Guest Register? Last year's entries were deleted."

 _"They've been deleted?"_

"That's what the computer says. 'Contents deleted.'."

 _"Well i didn't delete them. Freddie."_

"Ollie's daughter? Has done things like that?"

 _"No, but... You know how kids are these days. Hacking into computers, programming them to spread viruses and steal passwords and blow up the world..."_

"That's only in movies. Besides, all this person had to do was hit the 'delete' key."

 _"I still say it's Freedie. Last week I called that 'Snow Princess' game she's always playing idiotic. I think it hurt her feelings. But she'd just gotten done plastering me with snow balls. What'd she expect me to say - that felt great? Do it again?"_

"Did any of the four guests here stay here last year?"

 _"Let's see... Lou Talbot stayed here last summer, but only very briefly. His car'd broken down and he was waiting for a tow truck. Oh, and Yanni. He was here last winter. He and his trainer. They were checking out places to train. They didn't stay long, either."_

"Has anyone talked to you about the Championship skiing competition that will take place somewhere in this area year after next?"

 _"That is something i am not at liberty to discuss."_

"That didn't sound like a no to me."

 _"I didn't say that. Why do you ask?"_

"If it is held around here, that would make Icicle Creek Lodge a desirable piece of real estate."

 _"If the Championship is held nearby, which as far as i know still hasn't been decided. You think someone's been causing these accidents to run me out of business? So they can buy the Lodge from me on the cheap?"_

"Just a thought."

 _"A pretty nasty one at that."_

"Ollie said you promised him a raise, but you haven't given it to him yet. Is that true?"

 _"He told you that? I can't believe it."_

"Meaning...?"

 _"Okay. I mentioned to Ollie once that i thought maybe he deserved a raise, and now every time i turn around, he's all like 'Where's the raise you promised me? Where's the raise you promised me?' Doesn't he realize I have a few other things to think about right now? I swear, sometimes that crabby little whiner drives me nuts."_

"Well that's all the questions I had. I'll get back to work."

 _"Answers, Leo. i need answers."_

She then hung up.

 _'Yeesh, that woman is wound just a little too tight. But that whole sabotage thing has me thinking; what if someone is trying to run her out of business? It wouldn't be the first time someone won business by sabotaging the competition.'_

Right now, all the Cluefinders had were questions and no answers related to the accidents yet, but thanks to Leo, they're off to a start.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	3. Shoveling for Clues

**Shoveling Snow and Hidden Clues**

 **Winding the clock back a little...**

 **Donnie's P.O.V.**

After examining all the data i could find on the computer, me and Tigress went to the lobby. But not before stopping to look at the pictures.

'Young and old alike have stayed at Icicle Creek Lodge throughout its 100 history.'

"Looks the picture is missing." I noted

"So is this one."

I looked and the description said 'Trapper Dan's Needle.'

"We won't get some answers staring at the pictures."

"Agreed."

So we went to the lobby and saw two other guests. Po was sitting by the fireplace reading a newspaper.

"Hold up, Po is doing some actual reading." Tigress joked.

"Yeah, i see it too!"

"Hahaha, very funny you two. Here, look at this."

He handed me the newspaper and the headline read: _'Food Poisoning, Wolf Plague Icicle Creek Lodge'_.

"Food Poisoning, that could mean something!"

"Could be."

"Hey, you must be the new staff Ollie told us about. What's your names again?"

"I'm Donatello, but everybody calls me 'Donnie', and this is Tigress."

"Pleasure to meet you both."

"I'm Bill Kessler, and this guy is Lou Talbot."

"Sup?"

Bill Kessler was a grown-up elephant wearing glasses, a shirt and undershirt, a sweater, pants, and leather shoes. Lou Talbot was a teenage fox with glasses, a blue college sweater, a white shirt underneath, pants, and sneakers.

"Lou here is a grad student, Art major of all things. You're gonna need a jackhammer and some hydrochloric acid to clean his room, eh."

"Doubtful." Tigress said.

"Mind if we sit with you guys?"

"Sure."

"I'm cool with that."

I sat with Lou, and Tigress sat with Bill.

"So have you two been at the Lodge for a while."

"'Bout a week i guess." Bill answered. "Checked in right after he did. We sat down after breakfast one morning and discovered this 'Fox and Geese' game is pretty darn fun. Been whooping his tail ever since."

"But you didn't just come here to play games, did you?"

"Heck no. I came here for the ice-fishing. 'Course, knowing there's a renegade wolf running around has kinda dampened my enthusiasm."

"Have you seen the wolf?" I asked

"Just heard it. Every night since I've been here, in fact. Gets creepier each time. They should get rid of it and the sooner, the better. They didn't put up with wolves prowling around this place 40 years ago, and they shouldn't put up with 'em now."

"What are you, Little Red Riding Hood? That wolf's not hurting anybody. People should just leave it alone."

"You'll be singing a different tune when it has some little kid for breakfast, and has YOU for lunch."

"Not gonna happen, dude."

"Trust me. If something bad can happen, chances are it eventually will 'dude'. Hey, i know what you can do. Shovel the snow off the skating pond so we can do some speed skating. Lou here thinks he's faster 'n me."

"You're like ancient. 'Course I'm faster than you."

"You may have youth on your side my friend, but i have been working construction since before you were born, which means i am more fit now than you will ever be. Get that pond shoveled so we can settle this, okay kiddos?"

"Consider it done."

We then got and went to our room and grabbed our coats, and boots. We then came back to the lobby and grabbed our headgear. We then came across Leo leaving the basement.

"Going outside?"

"Yeah, we talked to Bill Kessler and Lou Talbot. They asked us to shovel the snow on the pond so they can compete in some speed skating. Plus, we got a little insight about them."

"Like what?"

"When Bill Kessler told us he wanted to do some ice fishing, the wolf is where they had different opinions. Bill thinks the wolf should be taken care of, and Lou disagrees. Since the wolf didn't hurt anyone yet, he says everyone should just leave it alone." Tigress explained.

"Well, Ollie and Yanni seem to think so. Ollie once found the wolf and tried to kill it, but his rifle was acting up and not a single shot hit the wolf."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's says that he just doesn't miss like that. He thinks something 'unnatural' is protecting the wolf."

"What did Yanni say about the wolf?"

"All he would say is that the wolf is nothing but evil."

"Man of few words, well anyway, if you need us you know how to reach us." I said and we went to the door.

"Okay, the needle's in the green, so we're safe to go outside for now."

We stepped outside and it wasn't too cold outside.

"We can manage this."

"Well I'd rather hurry. I don't want to be out longer than necessary."

We found the path that leads to the pond and went there. When we got to the pond, there was shovels and cones.

"Looks like we're here."

"Remember the instructions?"

"Yeah, although I'm more concerned about actually doing it."

We had to shovel the snow and watch out for areas of thin ice. The dangerous patches needed a cone so that we and everyone else know where to avoid. Once we got started, things were going good. We had a couple of close calls when my foot or Tigress' foot slid on some ice and broke apart.

"How much longer? I don't like swimming that much, and i don't like this cold water either."

"We're almost done."

We had only 3 cones left to place. Once that was done, we got back to the front of the pond.

"Phew, we're done. Now to get back to warmth."

"Donatello, over here!"

I ran over to Tigress to see what the problem was.

"What is it?"

"Look!"

I look down and saw something intriguing.

"Wolf tracks!"

"Let's follow them, see where they lead."

We followed the prints and came across a building that looked like a pillar.

"This must be Trapper Dan's Needle. The one mentioned in the picture description."

"This is Trapper Dan's Needle?"

"Yeah, there may not have been a direct picture, but back home i did some research about Icicle Creek Lodge before we got to the airport."

She really does know how to do her research.

"What's this? It's halfway in and halfway out."

I came closer and saw a black object sticking out of the structure.

"Think maybe there's a way to open it?"

"If there is, i don't know how."

We looked around, but couldn't find a way inside.

"Not seeing anything? You?"

"Nothing! Let's head back and see if anyone knows how to get in."

Well this has got my curiosity piqued. If there's a way to get inside Trapper Dan's Needle, how? And what's in that thing? Man, i really want to find out.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	4. A Furry Encounter, Part 1

**Avalanche Sized Trouble**

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

Donnie and Tigress just arrived back at the Lodge and closed the door.

"Ah, warm again."

"Yeah, even with this gear, my shell was cold."

They took off their coats and boots and got comfortable in the lobby. They sat close to the fire to warm up. Just then, Leo came and sat next to Donnie.

"Hey guys, how did the snow shoveling go?"

"Remind me to stay away from skating. I don't trust ice that's too thin to stand on." Tigress said.

"We had a couple of close calls regarding thin ice, but we survived. Oh, by the way, we found something really curious.

"Enlighten me."

"Trapper Dan's Needle, it has a doorway to the inside." He whispered

"No!"

"Yes, but we don't know how to open it." Tigress added

"Wow, i'd sure like to find out."

Just then, Po came out the kitchen with trays of food for Bill, Lou, Yanni, Guadalupe, Ollie, and Freddie.

"Order up!"

"I'll go tell Ollie and Yanni." Leo said and left. As he passed Po...

"You haven't forgotten my order?"

"Just about to get crackin' on it. I can make something for you guys."

"Oh that's right, we skipped breakfast."

Tigress pulled out her phone and looked at the time.

"I didn't even notice."

She was then handed a menu and so was Donnie.

"The menu's different depending on the time of day."

Tigress and Donnie looked and saw that they could order either a quesadilla or a burger.

"I'll take a quesadilla, Po."

"Me too, and a burger with lettuce and tomato."

"Coming up."

Soon, Po finished making food for him, Leo, Tigress, and Donnie. The four detectives sat together to eat and discuss progress.

"Trapper Dan's Needle has a doorway? That is so awesome!"

"Yeah, except we have absolutely no clue as to how to get in. We don't know what can get the door open and something was sticking out of it too."

"Nothing here at the Lodge will give us any clues as to what to do either."

"Did we learn anything here at the lodge?" Tigress asked

"I called Chantal shortly after you two left the Lodge. She told me more details about the accidents."

"Really?"

"Like what?"

"First, Becky the cook and the Faringdale family came down with food poisoning and when it happened, they were scattered around the lodge. They all had to be hospitalized. Not even Becky knew how, and she swears it wasn't because of her."

"Makes sense. Why poison yourself if you want to hurt others?"

"Probably to avoid suspicion."

"True. Anyway, after that, Carl Jenkins fell down the stairs out back and broke his leg. Ollie doesn't know how it happened. One minute the stairs were fine, the next they were covered in ice. Lou Talbot's window was smashed, Elsa's tires were slashed, the phone wires were cut, and the Southwaites were almost overcome by fumes when gas leaked into the sauna."

"Yeesh, that many incidents to one lodge?"

"None of which happened until the White Wolf showed up?"

"Yeah, they all started when the wolf showed up. Although..."

"'Although' what?"

"The phone wires, ice stairs, slashed tires, smashed window, and gas leak incidents, i think someone at the lodge caused them in terms of sabotage."

"You think that, Leo?" Donnie asked

"Yeah. Take the window incident for example. It's on the second floor of the Lodge. How can the wolf reach that window up so high?"

Tigress imagined the wolf coming near the lodge and trying to jump up.

"Now that you mention that, it seems silly for the wolf to jump up to a two story window."

"So who would want to sabotage the Lodge and why?"

"That's the million-dollar question big guy."

Once they finished eating, Leo and Donnie stayed in the lobby to discuss what their next move would be. As for Tigress, she was getting her winter gear on.

"Where you going, Tigress?"

"Back out. I have to find out more about where those wolf tracks lead. Staying here isn't going to get us answers."

"Alright, then let's go."

"No Po, I'm going alone. If anything happens, the few of us, the better."

"But-"

"Alone!" She said sternly and walked away. Po stood there as he watched her head out the door.

 _'If she thinks I'm gonna let her go alone, she is sadly mistaken. This Dragon Warrior doesn't standby.'_

Po then went upstairs and grabbed his black puffy coat, his yellow scarf, and his snow boats. He got dressed up for the cold and went out the door. He saw Tigress, but she didn't notice him. He followed from a distance as she went back to Trapper Dan's Needle and followed the wolf tracks to wherever they were going to. However, Tigress stopped along the way.

"Huh, wonder what's she's up to?" Po whispered.

"Po! I know you're following me."

"She really thinks that?" Po whispered and looked to see she was gone. He turned around and saw her behind him.

"Po."

"Aaah!"

"Po, I knew you were gonna follow me and spy on me."

"(nervous chuckles) Wow, what a coincidence."

"(sighs) You never learn do you?"

"At the very least, you got the Dragon Warrior watching your back."

"Yeah, right. Why did you follow me?"

"Hey, we're a team. We work together. Besides, what do you expect to accomplish alone?"

"Anything. As long as we're sitting in the Lodge, we won't get anywhere."

"But the people at the lodge might give us some clues. Not every answer is found by your lonesome."

"I know, but i want to see where these wolf tracks lead to."

Soon, they reached the entrance to Chicken Ridge.

"Chicken Ridge."

"It looks like this place could be dangerous. Let's keep our voices down and tread carefully."

"Got it."

(explosion)

"What was that?"

"Sounded like another explosion."

(wolf howl)

"The wolf again!"

"Uh, Tigress!"

She turned and saw Po pointing up. She looked and saw an avalanche heading their way.

"Oh no!"

"Look out!"

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	5. A Furry Encounter, Part 2

**A Furry Encounter**

 **Tigress' P.O.V.**

(snow shuffling)

"Oh no. I can't move."

That avalanche must have been thick. I got to dig myself before i run out of air and rescue Po, but i won't be able to move so much.

(grunting)

"I'll never make it."

(snow shuffling)

Wait a minute, somebody's above me! I can hear them. Po, maybe?

"Help! I'm down here! Right under you! Can you hear me? Help, i can't breathe!"

(snow shuffling)

He heard me, thank the gods. A big hole opened up in front of me and i saw light.

"Po, thanks for getting- (gasp)"

That's not Po, that's the wolf!

"Easy, it's okay. I'm not too happy about this either."

I couldn't move my arms to defend myself. I was a little worried that he would attack me, but it looks like the wolf saw something. Wait, he's leaving?

"(Sigh) That's a relief. Wait, what's that sound?"

"Tigress!"

"Po, boy am i glad to see you."

"Me too. Guess what i just saw."

"The wolf?"

"How did you know?"

"I just saw it. Can you get me out of here?"

"I got covered."

He reached inside and pulled me out with no trouble.

"Dragon strength?"

"Yeah, that's how i got out. Using our powers isn't so bad if it helps solve the case."

"Yeah, right. We need to head back to the lodge and report this."

"To Leo? He'll freak."

"Not to Leo right now, to the Avalanche Patrol. There's a section regarding avalanches and the patrol on the computer at the front desk."

I started following the wolf tracks that led back to the entrance to Chicken Ridge. Eventually, Po and I was halfway back to the lodge.

"BTW, how did you see the wolf if you were buried alive Tigress?"

"It dug the hole that you saw me through. When i heard the wolf right above me, i called for help, thinking it was you. When the hole was opened up, i saw the wolf. I thought he was gonna do something, but he just left instead."

"That's exactly how i saw him. After the avalanche, he dug a hole so i could get out. Once i did, i saw him digging another hole."

"Which was him rescuing me."

We reached the Lodge at the end of that conversation.

"(sigh) Warm again."

"That feels so good right now."

"I'll call the Avalanche Patrol."

I went over to the computer and looked for the Patrol number. I then grabbed the phone and started dialling.

(phone ringing)

 _"Avalanche Patrol. What's your location?"_

"I'm calling from Icicle Creek Lodge, but i wanted to report an avalanche over at Chicken Ridge."

 _"Anyone injured or trapped?"_

"Uh, not anymore."

 _"We'll check it out. Thanks for the heads up. Hey, wait a minute! You know Ollie Randal?"_

"The handyman here at the Lodge?"

 _"He's also on the Patrol. Do me a favor and tell him the explosives training in Calgary has been postponed 'til next month."_

Explosives training session? Interesting.

"Explosives training?"

 _"Sometimes the Patrol has to use explosives to bring down unstable snow. Yearly training sessions are mandatory, Ollie will know what I'm talking about."_

"I'll tell him."

 _"'Ppreciate it."_

"One more thing. Have any of you guys been setting off explosions anywhere near the Icicle creek Lodge recently?"

 _"Nope, sure haven't."_

"Well thank you. Bye!"

(Call is disconnected)

"Care to tell what's up?"

"Apparently, Ollie is part of the Avalanche Patrol and they have mandatory yearly explosive training sessions. However, this year's training session has been postponed until next month."

"Was that the explosion we heard in Chicken Ridge?"

"Nope, they said they haven't been anywhere near the Lodge recently."

"Oh, i thought it was once i heard 'explosive training'."

"Me too. Let's go tell Ollie."

They went down to the basement of the Lodge and found Ollie working on his wolf trap still.

"Hey Ollie."

"Whatcha kids need?"

"The Avalanche Patrol asked us to tell you that the explosives training session in Calgary has been postponed until next month."

"Well, hallelujah. I didn't really want to go anywhere until I finished off that wolf. Now i won't have to."

"So you're on the Patrol too, sir?" Po asked

"Yep. Dang! I just remembered."

"What sir?"

"Patrol wants me to keep an eye on Skookum Ridge for the next coupla weeks. Here."

The panther then put a key on the table.

"There's the key to the snowmobile. Take it out to Skookum Ridge and see if there's been an avalanche."

"You want us to check it out?"

"Seats heated, so you don't have to worry about the cold. Make sure you call the Patrol and give 'em a report when you're done. You can handle that, can't you?"

Po then grabbed the key before i could say anything.

"Sure we can. We'll be done before you know it."

"Good. Two more things: 1. That Bill Kessler guy's getting bored being the only one around here doing any ice fishing. He wants competition. So if he says anything to any of you kids, just remember that Chantal wants you to keep the guests we got happy. 2. a cold snap's on its way. You think it's cold now, just wait. Gotta be real careful anytime you're outside. So. We done here?"

"We'll let you get back to work."

"Good."

We then left the basement and came across Leo and Donnie.

"Guys, where have you been?" Donnie asked

"It's a bit of a long story."

Po and i told the others what happened after lunch. How we went out and got caught in an avalanche, saw the wolf and what we told Ollie.

"You guys got caught in an avalanche?"

"You also saw the wolf?"

"Right after the avalanche. It dug holes for us so we could escape. Speaking of avalanches, Ollie asked us to go to Skookum Ridge for him and see if an avalanche happened yet. Once that's accomplished, we report to the Patrol."

"Also, have you guys talked to Bill Kessler yet?" Po asked

"Nope, we spent some time talking to Guadalupe. Why?"

"Ollie told us that Bill Kessler is looking for some ice fishing competition. Chantal wants us to keep the guests happy, so..."

"We hear you. Alright, you guys take the snowmobile while we handle the ice fishing."

"Oh, one last thing. Ollie said a cold snaps on it's way, which means sub-zero temperatures. We'll need to handle things fast so we don't freeze to death."

"Right." The turtles said. Once we separated, Po and i grabbed our snow gear and we took the snowmobile.

"I'll drive." I said and held my hand out. Po gave me the key and i got in the front.

"Wow, the seat really is heated."

"Yeah, but that won't matter when the rest of our bodies is freezing. Once we come back, we wait until the cold snaps passes."

"Right."

"Let's go."

I turned on the ignition and began driving the snowmobile.

* * *

 **Ice fishing gone wrong**

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

Leo and Donnie were getting their snow gear on and getting ready to head to the lake. After talking to Bill Kessler, the elephant told them they had to catch a 2-foot Northern Pike to beat him. They had to be quick when walking outside since a cold snaps on it's way.

"You know, last time i was outside with Tigress, i saw a little fort out there. It was in the direction of the lake."

"That's Ollie's daughter Freddie. She likes to play a game she calls 'Snow Princess'." He said as he put on his snow boots.

"What game is that?"

"Don't know, but if it's on the way to the lake, we're about to find out."

"Oh joy."

Once they were done, they left the lodge and began heading to the ice lake. Eventually...

"Halt, who goes there?"

"It's Leo and Donnie!" Leo answered

"Leo and Donnie shall not pass unless and until they prove themselves worthy!"

"How do they do that?" Donnie asked

"By hitting the Snow Princess 10 times. Snowballs only - no iceballs."

"What are iceballs?"

"Snowballs made of ice. If you get hit with one, it can knock you out. So don't throw any or i'll tell my dad."

"Yep, that's Freddie all right. Ollie's daughter."

"I am the Snow Princess! Prepare to defend yourselves!"

Leo and Donnie had no choice but to play along if they wanted to get to the lake. They began dodging the snowballs Freddie was throwing at them and they started firing back. Leo managed to get her a couple of times first.

2-0

Donnie got her once, and then she managed to nail Leo and Donnie a few seconds later.

3-2

"Is she really okay with this?"

"As long as we don't hurt her, everything's fine."

During that, they managed to get the upper hand.

7-5

Leo got her twice and Donnie got the final point to win the game!

10-5

"You have defeated the Snow Princess. You may pass."

The turtles won and could keep heading to the lake.

"I think that- that- that cold snap is already here." Donnie said

"We're almost at the- the shack. It's solar heated so we'll be fine."

The turtles reached the shack, but when they opened they ignored the warming up by what they see.

"Holy hell."

"What happened here? It looks like someone deliberately wrecked all the fishing gear. So much for gathering a 2-foot Northern Pike."

"We don't have that much time before it gets to sub-zero temperatures. We'll have to split up."

"What? Leo, it's freezing cold outside. Either one of us could freeze our shells off if we go out there."

"Given our time frame, we don't much of a choice. If you want to stay here all warm, so be it."

Leo then turned around and left the shack before Donnie could stop him.

"Leo! You'll freeze to death!"

Leo didn't listen and ran back to the Lodge as fast as he could. When he got back there, he went to the basement straight to Ollie.

"Whatcha need?" He said without looking up

"Someone went into the ice-fishing shack and ruined all of Bill Kessler's equipment."

"Probably some animal-loving eco-fanatic who figured it was time to save the fish."

"You don't by any chance have a hook and line i could borrow, do you?"

Ollie stopped what he was doing, and put a box on the table.

"There's my tacklebox. It's all yours. Kessler tried to rope me into competing with him. But i can't very well do that when you've got my hook and line now, can I."

"Don't suppose you can."

"Anything else?"

"Nope, thanks."

"Need anything, just holler."

Once Leo was out of the basement...

"That guy only cares about getting rid of the wolf, and nothing else."

Leo began making his way to the lake, but...

"Stop! How dare you trespass here! You shall pay for your insolence!"

 _'Right, Ollie's daughter Freddie is out here. Here we go again.'_

Leo put the tacklebox down and began throwing snowballs with Freddie. Once he got 10 hits...

"You won, so you may pass."

Leo grabbed the tacklebox and ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the lake. Once he got into the shack...

"Leo, thank god you're alive! Did you get any fishing gear?"

"Ollie's tacklebox. Kessler tried to get him to participate, but he wanted an excuse not to do it. He doesn't want to do anything until that wolf is gone."

"I'll bet. The sooner we get that fish, the sooner we can get back to the Lodge. Also, i found this."

Donnie held up a torn piece of paper he found from the debris.

"Hmm, maybe our mysterious guest left this behind."

"Maybe."

They took the line and casted it into the water. Leo went first.

"I got something!"

He pulled on the line and it was a log. However, the log was so heavy, it snapped the line.

"Dang it. The line snapped."

"Luckily, there's a replacement."

Donnie went next and a minute or two later, he snagged a fish.

"Got a fish!"

"2 ft?"

Donnie took out a ruler from the tacklebox and measured it.

"Haha, yep. A 2-ft Northern Pike. Let's get out of here."

The turtles packed up their gear and left the shack. When Donnie stepped out first...

WHACK

"Oof!"

"Donnie!"

Leo saw that an iceball had hit Donnie in the face.

"An iceball? What the-?"

Leo turned to see a black figure standing, but an iceball caught his eye first, made contact with his face, and knocked him down.

"Who... was... that...?"

He fell unconscious as the figure walked up to the turtle brothers.

"Hmph."

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	6. Escape from the Lake

**Escape from the Lake**

 **Donnie's P.O.V.**

Ugh, what happened? Something hit me, but i didn't see what or who hit me.

(sound of explosion)

What the-? An explosion? Somehow that made me open my eyes and oh boy.

"Oh god! Whoever knocked me out set an explosion that shattered the ice. I have to tell Leo."

I looked around and saw him on an ice floe away from me. I also saw that I was on an ice floe that's floating in the lake. I then looked down at myself.

"Oh great, my jacket's gone. No wonder i'm so cold..."

(faint wolf howls)

The wolf! I hear it, but where is it coming from? If i follow the sound, it's coming from the northeast side of the lake. Ah, there it is. Is that a... a coat! 2 of them.

"Perfect! If i can get Leo fast enough, i can take him to shore and put those coats on us before we freeze to death."

I started hopping from ice flow to ice flow as fast as my cold legs could go. I managed to get Leo and lift him up in my arms. I then carried him over the lake to shore just in time to put on the coats.

"I don't know whose coats these are, or why that wolf left them here, but at least now we won't freeze to death."

I put mine on first and felt warmer than i was now. I then put Leo's on next.

"Hold up, there's a note in here."

I pulled a note of Leo's pocket and saw some strange symbols. I wanted to think, but now wasn't the time. I picked up Leo and carried him as i followed the wolf's tracks. Hopefully, they'll lead us to the Lodge. They brought us to a place called Avalanche Ridge.

"Avalanche Ridge, not exactly reassuring."

The wolf tracks kept going into Avalanche Ridge, but the snow looks deep. I turned hoping that something, anything would get me and my brother out of the cold. My fingers are numb, legs are shaking, i can't stop shaking from the cold. I managed to look down and see ski tracks in the snow.

"Ski tracks? Yanni must've made them from earlier. If i follow them, i can get us back to the Lodge."

I put all the energy i had into getting us back at the Lodge. Of course, we weren't facing the entrance.

"If i... don't hurry... we're not... gonna... make it."

I managed to get around one side, but i felt myself getting weak from the cold.

"Leo! Donnie!"

A voice? Who... whose... calling...?

"There they are! Hurry!"

I fell down as i heard something come near us. I couldn't see what though. I felt myself losing consciousness again, but slowly. I did feel something grab and lift me in the air.

* * *

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

 **Winding the clock back a little...**

"(groans) They're not back yet and it's already before freezing out there."

"Po, you know we can't go back out there. It's sub-zero temperatures out there. You'll freeze in seconds."

"I don't care! I'm gonna find them, whether you like it or not."

"Po! Stop! (sigh)"

Tigress and Po were arguing after getting back from Skookum Ridge. They saw the outside reading in the red zone, but Leo and Donnie weren't back at the Lodge for a little while. Po wasn't going to sit, thinking that his friends could be out there freezing their shells off. Once he got his snow gear on, he ran outside to look for them, Tigress on his tail.

"Leo! Donnie!"

"Po, it's freezing out here! Maybe they took shelter elsewhere."

"I can't take that chance, Tigress!"

He went a little further from the entrance, while Tigress walked up to grab him and pull him inside. Before she could however...

"There they are! Hurry!"

"What?!"

Tigress saw the two turtles as they collapsed in the snow. Po ran over and picked up Donnie while Tigress carried Leo on her shoulder. The two carried the turtles inside the Lodge just at the last second and everyone was in the Lodge. They shut the door, and carried the turtles to the fireplace. They placed a blanket on them to warm them up.

"Kids! Hi. What the heck happened out there?"

"We don't know, Mr. Kessler. We just got them inside from the harsh coldness."

Shortly after, Leo woke up and so did Donnie.

"(groans) What the-? I'm... at the Lodge?"

"Yeah, thanks to Po and Tigress it seems."

"Leo, what the heck happened out there?"

"What do you mean?"

"I walked out to Icicle Lake to see how you were doing in the fishing shack, only there wasn't any fishing shack. There wasn't even a lake. The ice was all busted up, like somebody'd dropped a bomb on it."

"Yeah, i remember. When Leo and I got ourselves a 2 ft Norther Pike, we stepped outside the shack and someone knocked us out with an ice ball. The next thing i knew, there was an explosion and we were on separate ice floes with no coat and no fish."

"Oh yeah, it's starting to come back. Donnie got knocked out first and i ran out to help him, only i got knocked out right when i stepped out the door. I heard the explosion, but i didn't wake up right away. I was still out from the ice ball."

"Somebody decked you with an ice ball then blew up the lake? Holy moly."

"Probably you." Lou Talbot joked. "Couldn't stand the thought of losing to a couple of kids."

"Har har. The good news is, you're okay. The bad news? No more ice fishing."

"It's also sub-zero temperatures outside, so we're staying in the Lodge for the time being." Tigress said

"Good, we really need to warm-up."

"How about some dinner? That should help."

Po ran into the kitchen and came back out with menus. He gave them to his friends and went around the Lodge giving them to everybody, asking what they wanted for dinner. The guests could eat salmon or salads. Once they made their minds, Po went in and did his stuff. Once the food was done, he brought it out so everyone could eat.

"Mmn, thanks Po."

"Yeah, so busy working this case, i forgot to eat lunch."

"No problem, anything from the Dragon Warrior."

"Well, let's officially call it a night. If it's below 0 degrees, we can't go outside. Plus, i'm still a little cold after our incident."

"Yeah."

"Right."

"Agreed."

Once they finished eating, they did their own business in the lodge until they went to bed. At 12:00 AM...

"Hey, Donnie."

"Yeah?"

"How did you guys get back to the Lodge if the lake was blown up, and whose coats were you wearing? The coats me and Po saw you wearing weren't yours when we first arrived at Icicle Creek Lodge."

"When i came to and saw the lake, i heard the White Wolf nearby. I looked and saw that it brought coats for me and Leo. They were just our sizes too, and given the situation we were desperate. Anyways, after putting on the coats, we followed the wolf's tracks and it took us to Avalanche Ridge. We found ski tracks in the area and thought they were Yanni's, from his training. If we were lucky, they would lead us back to the Lodge and they did."

"Yikes."

"Yeah, being in the cold for so long, my shell still feels cold. Even though this sleeping bag is warming up with me in it."

 **As for Po and Leo...**

"Hey Leo. Leo!"

"What Po? I'm trying to sleep."

"I found this."

Po held up a letter and it had Leo's name on the front.

"Really? Where?"

"It was sitting on the bench near the entrance. I don't know how it got there."

Leo opened it up and using his T-Phone, he used the light to read it quietly.

 _'Leo - I really like playing snowball fights with you but am afraid you won't want to play with me any more. If you play with me and win, I'll give you my top secret way i can stay out in the cold for so long._

 _Freddie'_

"Freddie? As in Ollie's little daughter 'Freddie'?"

"Yeah, when Donnie and I went to the lake, she had this snow fort set up. If you can hit her 10 times first with snowballs, she let's you pass. Coming back to the Lodge, she didn't challenge me."

"So if you're leaving the Lodge, you have to play."

"Yeah, but only use snowballs if you go out there. Don't throw any iceballs."

"Sounds like she wants to show you something if you win."

"Yeah, i wonder what though. (yawns) I'll find out tomorrow."

Before Leo knew it, his eyelids got heavy and fell back asleep. Po went back into his sleeping bag and went back to sleep.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	7. Second Day at Icicle Creek Lodge

**Day 2**

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

It was the second day of the mystery of Icicle Creek Lodge. The Cluefinders were still sleeping until the alarm went off at 7:00, which woke up Leo, Tigress, and Donnie in their rooms. Once they woke up, Donnie called Leo on the T-phone.

 _"Hey Leo, it's me. How you holding up?"_

"Better than what happened to us yesterday."

 _"Same here."_

"Let's meet in the lobby to discuss progress on the case, once everyone's up and about."

 _"Understood."_

Once he hung up, Leo woke up Po.

"Hey Po, wake up. Time for breakfast."

"(yawns) (smacks lips) What's this about breakfast?"

"Time for breakfast."

"Oh, good. Glad i'm not late."

"It's only 7 in the morning."

As they were about to head to the bathroom, they heard footsteps.

**Pounding on door down the hall**

"Shh!"

"What?" Po whispered. "I didn't even-"

"Listen."

Po leaned on the door.

 _GC: "What do you want?"_

 _OR: "You messed with my rifle, didn't you?!"_

"That's Guadalupe's voice."

"Ollie's too. Let's listen."

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _"This fax just came for you. It's from the wacko left-wing wildlife gang that paid you to screw up my rifle so I'd miss that wolf!"_

 _"How dare you talk to me like that! I'm leaving this place, right now!"_

 _"Good! You just got yourself an escort off the premises!"_

**Door slams shut, then footsteps**

"You hear that?"

"Yeah, wonder if Donnie and Tigress did too."

As soon as Leo and Po stepped out their room, they saw Donnie and Tigress leave theirs.

"You heard that right?"

"Loud and clear."

"What was that about, Ollie accusing Guadalupe of sabotaging his rifle?"

"When we got here, yesterday i talked to Ollie and he told me about how his rifle was messed up so none of the shots he fired hit the wolf." Leo spoke

"If that fax is real, then Guadalupe messed with his rifle to protect the wolf. But why would she do that?" Donnie wondered

"Ollie said she was part of a wildlife group, think we should ask her?"

"Only if we could Po. She left the lodge and i don't think she left a number for us."

"We'll figure something out."

After that brief discussion, they each got themselves freshened up in the restroom and dressed in their winter gear that they wear in the lodge.

"I'll handle the laundry this time." Leo volunteered and went to the cabinet behind the front desk and grabbed the laundry bag. He then went room to room gathering everyone's laundry and dumped the bag down the laundry chute. As for Po, he went into the kitchen to start making breakfast for everyone in the lodge. Everyone could order French Toast, an Omelette, and/or Canadian Bacon.

Once he got everyone's food ready...

"Breakfast is ready, guys."

"I'll tell the others."

Donnie told Bill and Lou, Leo told Ollie and Yanni. As they were eating...

"Hey Tigress, mmm, do you still have that note i gave you last night?"

"I do, but i haven't been able to decode it yet. I've never seen writing like that before back in the city."

"True."

"Well, i don't know about you guys but i have a playdate with Freddie. She left a letter that said if i beat her in a snowball fight, she'll tell me how she stays out in the cold for so long."

Leo got up after finishing his breakfast and went to put on his snow gear. He then came to the front door and looked at the Hypothermia meter.

"Orange, what else is new?"

He stepped outside and made his way to Freddie's snow fort.

"Halt! The battle for the kingdom of the Snow Princess begins!"

Leo engaged Ollie in another one of her snowball fights and once he won 10 hits...

"You win! Bombs away!"

She then popped out and tossed something Leo's way. He saw it and caught it easily. It was a blue bag and on the front it said 'Toasty Pack'

"Whenever you're really cold, just squeeze the Toasty Pack and you'll get a burst of heat. It only works when you're already cold, and you can only use one Toasty Pack at a time."

"Thanks."

Leo went back inside and took off his snow gear. Right away, he noticed a note on the bench.

"Huh? What's this?"

He pulled it off the bench and began to read it.

 _'Dear Leo and Donnie,_

 _Because of that Neanderthal of a handyman, I've been forced to return home. Please call me. When it comes to the white wolf, there is much for us to talk about._

 _Lupe._

 _213-555-3264'_

"This is great! Now we can talk to her."

"Talk to who?"

Leo looked up and saw Tigress standing at the front desk with Donnie and Po.

"Guadalupe. I just got inside, and she left us a note with her number on it. We can call her and talk to her."

"That's great."

"Po!"

"On it."

He picked up the phone and dialed the number Leo gave him. He then put it on speaker so everyone could hear.

 _"_ _This is Lupe. Leave a message and perhaps we'll talk later."_

"Sounds like she's not there."

"So what now?"

"Let's call the other guests and see what info they have." Leo suggested

"Right. Let's call Carl Jenkins."

 _**Phone Rings**_

Just when Carl answered the phone, there were noises in the background.

 _"Hello?"_

"Hello. Is this Mr. Jenkins?"

 _"Yeah, this is Carl. Nuts. Missed him."_

"My name's Donnie. I heard you had an accident at Icicle Creek Lodge and was wondering if you could tell me about it."

 _"Not much to tell. I - Ha! Take that, Captain Keen! I went there to do a little ice fishing, and I slipped going down some stairs and fractured my tibia in 2 places. Can't work, can't go out; all I can do is sit around and play this stupid video game. Oh no, you don't!"_

"I heard the stairs were a little icy."

 _"They were covered in ice. I was lucky I didn't fracture my skull. Yes! Yes! Hey, look, I'm about four laser strikes away from ruling the Gargoolian Galaxy, I gotta go, okay? You got any more questions, check with the people at the Lodge. Gotcha!"_

 _**Call is Disconnected**_

"Yeesh, that guy is just like Mikey, focused on the game like his life depends on it."

"What about the uh... which was the name of that family you said Leo? The family that got food poisoning?"

"The Faringdale family. We should contact them too."

"Right."

They dialed the number for the Faringdale family.

 _**Phone Rings**_

 _**Busy Signal**_

 _**Call is Disconnected**_

"What about the Southwaites? Think they'll talk to us?"

"It's worth finding out." Tigress said. She then dialed the number she saw yesterday on the computer.

 _**Phone Rings**_

 _"Hello?"_

 _"Hello?"_

 _"I've got it sweetheart."_

"Hi, is this Brenda and Derek Southwaite?"

 _"Yes it is."_

 _"Is this a solicitation?"_

 _"Honey, you're so suspicious."_

 _"Only because you can be too nice for your own good, darling."_

"I'm not selling anything. I just want to ask you about your recent stay at Icicle Creek Lodge."

 _"You mean 'Gas-icle Leak Lodge?"_

Po stifled a laugh, but the couple didn't hear it.

 _"Very clever, sweetie. Gas was leaking from so many places while we were there it's a wonder the place didn't blow sky high"_

"I heard something about your almost being overcome by fumes in the spa?"

 _"Well, we had just gone ice-skating, so we decided to warm up in the sauna. So we were sitting in there, and everything was fine until both of us started feeling a little woozy."_

 _"We started feeling a lot woozy."_

 _"And the next thing we knew that Russian skier came in -"_

 _"Actually I think he was Slovakian."_

 _"The point is, he told us he smelled gas and thought we should get out. So we did."_

 _"Barely. By that point the fumes were making both of us ill, if you know what I mean."_

 _"That poor skier. By the time he helped us get out of there, he was almost as green as we were."_

 _"Awful experience."_

 _"Horrible. It was our first honeymoon."_

 _"At least the owner had the decency to give us a full refund."_

 _**Car Horn**_

 _"Oops. The shuttle's here sweetheart. We're off to Aspen, kind of a second first honeymoon."_

 _"Long story short - if you're thinking about going to Icicle Creek Lodge? Don't."_

"Well, I appreciate the advice. Have a good time."

 _"Oh, we will. Bye!"_

 _"Bye."_

 _**Call is Disconnected.**_

"Well, one thing's for sure: the wife really is too nice." Tigress said

"At least they were more helpful than gamer dude." Po argued.

"The husband may have been direct, but he wasn't afraid to sugarcoat anything."

"Point is, we have obtained more intel on the sauna incident. So what's our next move?"

"Let's try calling Guadalupe again, see if she's there."

They dialed her number again and waited.

 _**Phone Rings**_

 _"This is Lupe. Leave a message and perhaps we'll talk later."_

"Still not there."

"(sigh) Let's give it some time and we'll call her again."

The Cluefinders then left the desk and went to the lobby to discuss their next move.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	8. Making Progress

**Tigress' P.O.V.**

It's our second day and we have lots more questions than answers: What's inside Trapper Dan's Needle? Is the wolf behind the accidents or someone here at the lodge? There's a whole lot we don't know.

"So far, i'm getting convinced that someone here at the lodge is behind the accidents."

"How can you prove that, Leo? We don't know who has a motive for sabotaging the Lodge." Po asked

"Oh, so it's a coincidence that someone wearing a black suit knocked me and my brother unconscious and blew up the lake?"

"I'm not saying that."

"Really?"

"Guys! Can we focus here? We need to figure out what's going on. The sooner, the better for everyone's sake."

"The only thing I can think of would be to explore Avalanche Ridge, but the snow's so deep, you would need snowshoes to avoid making too much noise."

While the guys were debating the next move we should make, I've been busy trying to decode the note Donatello gave from earlier. I've never seen anything like this, so how can I be able to-?

"Wait a minute."

"What is it, Tigress?"

"Give me a second."

I ran up to my room and grabbed a pencil. I came back down to the lobby and looked at the symbols again.

"That's it."

"What's it?"

"Donnie, these symbols aren't really symbols. They're numbers!"

"Numbers? They don't like any type of numbers I've ever seen."

"Let me show you."

I took the note from his hand and wrote the numbers: 7 9 1 4.

"Okay, see this?"

"Yeah?" The boys said in unison.

"Good, now watch this."

I wrote the numbers again in the same order, but backwards and spaced them apart a little bit.

"See what I mean?"

Donnie was the first to look, and it hit him right away.

"Oh, now I see it. Why didn't I see that earlier?"

He then handed the note to Leo, and then Po saw it.

"Whoa, awesome trick."

"The ol' 'hidden in plain sight' trick, Po."

"Yeah, you and I didn't see it and it was right in front of us."

"Okay, so it's got to be a code for something."

"Yeah, but what?"

"Don't know. It's not gonna be easy to figure out."

We spent the next couple of hours thinking while helping around the lodge.

"Man, my brain is hurting."

"You sound just like Mikey."

"So what now?"

"Well, it's been a couple of hours. Want to trying calling Lupe again?"

"Sure."

Po and I went to the phone and dialed Lupe's number again.

"Fingers crossed." Po said

*Phone Rings*

 _"Hello?"_

"Ms. Comillo? My name is Tigress, I believe you met my companions Leo and Donnie? From Icicle Creek Lodge?"

 _"Yes, hello. Is the wolf alright?"_

"Well, Ollie hasn't succeeded in shooting it or trapping it if that's what you mean. But I won't say anymore than that until you tell me who you really are. We overheard you and Ollie talk about his rifle, and a wildlife group."

 _"All right."_ She conceded.

Guadalupe then explained to Tigress and Po that she was a member of the wildlife group Run and Grow Free. That organization is dedicated to the protection of wild animals. Guadalupe went to the Lodge to protect the wolf and make sure nothing happened to it. The group is trying to have arraigned and captured to be taken to a sanctuary, but the organization's hands are full. Until a wolf sanctuary opens up, all they can do is protect the wolf.

 _"Now tell me more about the contact you've had with the wolf."_

"When my friend Po and I went to Chicken Ridge, we got buried in an avalanche. Afterwards, the wolf dug a hole for us so we could escape."

"Not only that, but when our friends Leo and Donnie were trapped on the lake without coats, the wolf brought a couple of new ones and left them there so they wouldn't freeze to death."

 _"Hm. It may have sensed you all were in danger, or its behavior may've been totally random. But either way, the fact that the wolf didn't simply run away from is very bad news."_

"It is?" Po asked

 _"Wild Wolves and us civilians simply do not mix."_

She then explained to us a little history about wolves, their behavior in general, their nature, their instincts. Training them might masks those instincts, but doesn't erase them.

"So the fact is, if this wolf isn't afraid of us could lead other animals to believe that they don't have to be afraid of it."

 _"Precisely. It could make us forget that all wolves are first and foremost, wild. While we're on the subject, do not ever - ever - give in to the temptation to feed the wolf. For one thing, a wolf's jaws are twice as powerful as a German Shepard's, and should your hand happen to get in its way when it tries to feed...?"_

"We get the picture."

 _"Another thing, making the wolf dependent upon you for food would seal its doom. It sounds strange, but the best you kids can do for that wolf, is nothing."_

"What about the fishing shack? All the gear in it was wrecked when Leo and Donnie went there."

 _"That was me. I was afraid that Bill Kessler fellow would encounter the wolf on one of his trips out to the shack, and that it would end badly for the wolf. So I did a number on equipment. I've done worse while working on behalf of Run and Grow Free, believe me."_

"You also had a magazine featuring Yanni Volkstaia in your room."

 _"You're very observant. I read the article thinking he might make a good spokesperson for Run and Grow Free. But then I actually talked to him. At which point I realized that not only is he a raving egomaniac, he's appallingly superstitious when it comes to wolves. I put an abrupt end to that conversation. I was afraid he might try to tell me that wolves had eaten his grandmother or something."_

"All this was like an, undercover thing? You didn't tell anyone?"

 _"Yes. Because I assumed, and quite correctly as it turns out, that very few people there would be sympathetic to my cause. Had I not been undercover, they may've tried to foil my efforts. Instead, I was able to foil theirs. For a while, at least."_

"Any chance you heard explosions while you were staying at Icicle Creek Lodge?"

 _"Yes, as a matter of fact, I heard several."_

"Do you know what caused them?"

 _"My first thought was that Ollie had completely lost it and was going after the wolf with explosives. But when I realized that even he wasn't that stupid, I assumed it was someone clearing an avalanche or a downed tree or something. While we're on the subject of explosions, did anyone ever figure out what made the bunkhouse blow up like that?"_

"The sheriff says it was plastic explosives."

 _"Wow, that's serious. No offense, but it sounds to me like instead of hiring more staff, the owner of the Lodge should've hired herself a detective."_

"Yeah, right." We both said.

Guadalupe wasn't the only guest at the Lodge undercover.

"Well, that's all for now."

 _"Thanks for calling. Oh, and from now on, call me Lupe. You two and your friends earned that right."_

**Call is Disconnected**

"Wow, that lady must be an expert on wolves."

"Who knows, but now we know more about her."

"Who you guys talking about?"

"Guadalupe."

"You guys talked to Lupe?"

We explained to Leo and Donnie her true identity, and her real reasons for her stay at Icicle Creek Lodge.

"So she was trying to protect the wolf. Think she did some of the damage here at the Lodge?"

"We don't think so. She may have damaged the fishing equipment at the lake, but she didn't do stuff like blowing up the bunkhouse. She was actually surprised by what she heard."

"From what you guys said, sounds like it. What about the wolf? She was more concerned about the wolf."

"She was surprised to hear about how the wolf protected all of us. Saving me and Tigress from the avalanche, helping you guys from the lake. She thinks that a trained is doomed than one who runs wild."

"Really?" They both said

"Yeah."

"So what now?"

"Well, me and Leo saw a pair of snowshoes on the display. There's a combination to it though, we're going to ask Chantal if she can give us the combination for it."

"Really? Think there are any more here?"

"Don't know, we just saw the one pair."

"We'll go look for more then. Po, you search upstairs, I'll search the basement."

"Got it."

* * *

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

As Leo and Donnie made the phone call, Tigress went down to the basement where Ollie and Yanni were. She made sure not to make too much noise so they weren't disturbed.

 _'After what happened between all of us, with the avalanche and the lake blowing up, we can't take any chances splitting up or going solo. If one of us explores Avalanche Ridge, we all do together.'_

She managed to locate two more pairs of snowshoes in the basement.

"Yes!" She whispered

She then went upstairs and found Po coming down.

"I got two more, so that's three of us covered."

"I couldn't find any upstairs."

"There's a pair here."

Donnie pulled a pair out of the lower half of the cabinet. Just then, they heard a machine running. Leo then picked up a piece of paper from it.

"Got it."

(unclear dialogue)

"Will do."

Leo then hung up the phone and looked at the survey.

"Whoever this Tino Balducci guy is, these are some ridiculous questions."

"Why?"

Once the others got a look at it...

"What the-?"

"Really?"

"Who would ask these?"

"Chantal said Tino Balducci created these questions to build a profile to determine who the suspect is."

"He really thinks these questions are gonna solve that?"

"Don't know, but Chantal won't give the combination to the display case until this is done."

"Right."

Once they got the questions asked and answered, albeit they had a few awkward moments in doing so, they got the questions answered.

"Whew, glad that's over with."

"This guy is probably a hack."

"Yeah. Anyway, we have to call him before we fax it to him."

Leo dialed the number to call Tino Balducci.

**Phone is Ringing**

 _"Hello?"_

"Hi, is this Tino Balducci?"

 _"Who's asking?"_

"My name is Leo, one of the detectives Chantal hired at Icicle Creek Lodge."

 _"Leo, hey. Did you and your friends get that survey done yet?"_

"Yeah, we did."

 _"Good job. I'll just turn my fax machine here... Okay. Let 'er rip."_

Leo then put the survey into the machine.

 _"Nice work. According to the survey, our perp is none other than our bird-watching champion snowshoer, Bill Kesler."_

"Except Bill Kessler loves to ice fish, Guadalupe Comillo watches birds, Yanni Volkstaia is the champion skier, and Lou Talbot likes to snowshoe."

 _"Oh."_

"But you did describe everyone at the Lodge."

 _"I did? Oh yeah, I guess I did. Maybe I just need to look at it from a different perspective or something. Oh hey, before I forget. Chantal said when you finished the survey, I was supposed to pass some numbers on to you. Said it was a combination to something."_

"Yeah, to the display case. What is it?"

 _"7 6 6 9. Anything else I can do for ya?"_

"I'd better go."

 _"You need help, just give me a call."_

**Call is Disconnected**

"Alright, now to get those snowshoes."

Leo went to the display case and unlocked the snowshoes. After that, the Cluefinders put on their snow gear, and went to Avalanche Ridge. They decided to run there since the weather meter was orange. Once they got to the entrance of Avalanche Ridge, they put their snowshoes on.

"All right, now we can continue the investigation."

"Let's be quick too, so we don't freeze out here."

"All right then, let's move."

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	9. A New Friend and New Intel

**Meeting Isis**

 **Leo's P.O.V.**

We had our snow shoes on and we began moving ahead inside Avalanche Ridge. As long as we keep quiet, we should be able to explore here without any trouble.

"Glad we're getting past the deep snow here."

"Hopefully another avalanche won't happen, especially here."

Tigress had flashbacks of the avalanche that buried her and Po and their first meeting with the wolf.

"Yeah, we're not exactly fond of this cold weather."

**Wolf Howls, Then Sound of a Shotgun**

"What was that?" Po freaked, and we hushed him.

"Sorry, I panicked."

"Well, panic quietly." I said

"Think it was Ollie?"

"Who else?" Tigress answered. "He told Leo he's been hunting the wolf, we all heard Ollie confront Lupe about his rifle, and given the talk me and Po had with Lupe on the phone..."

"It's pretty obvious."

"We won't be able to find out if he succeeded anytime soon."

As we kept following the tracks, we could tell it was getting colder out here.

"Man, we need to head for some shelter soon."

"Yeah, I can't... stop shivering..."

We eventually came up to what looked like a house.

"Is th-th-that-?"

"Maybe, let's go."

We made our way to it as fast as possible. I knocked on the door to see if anyone was there.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

No response.

"Nothing."

"We wouldn't be able to go in anyway, it's locked."

I looked closer and saw the lock was one of those numerical locks, the ones with the 4-digit code on it.

"Tigress, what were the numbers on the note again? Back at the Lodge?"

"7... 9... 1... 4"

I entered the numbers and the lock came undone. I pulled it off and pushed the door open and we hurried inside. Luckily for us, it was warm inside.

"Aaah, warm again."

"Yeah, that feels good."

"Wonder what's been going on in here."

"Let's look around."

We looked around and I found a device that was torn apart. There was also a number written on it: 334-555-7625.

"What the heck is that thing?"

"Don't know, but whatever this phone number's for, that should get us some answers."

Just to make sure I didn't forget, I was quick to pull out my T-Phone and snap a photo.

"Hey guys, look at this."

"A book? Boring."

"Not just any book, this is a diary. This diary belongs to someone named 'Julius McQuade'. They talk about the wolf in here."

"Really?"

We all gathered around Donnie to see.

"Look here. It says here that the wolf is actually a girl named Isis and that she keeps her distance from civilians at all times. But over time, she eventually started bonding with Julius."

"Bonding how?"

"11/17: _'When I woke up this morning, I was shocked to discover that Isis had found a way into the shack was lying not three feet away from me! She woke up the instant I did. We stared at each other, then she put her head down and went back to sleep. Apparently she trusts me, or wants me to trust her.'_ "

"So much for the distance at all times theory."

"So if Isis helped us out before, maybe she trusts us." Po suggested

"We don't know that for sure."

"Well here's something! It turns out she takes commands from people she trusts. Once you get her attention by saying her name, you can give her commands."

When he turned the page, we saw what looked like a list.

"What are those?"

"These are the commands Julius 'taught' Isis. There's:

Down: She lies down

Forward: She moves forward

Jump: She jumps

Stay: She stops moving

Bark: She barks

Paw: She swipes with her paw

Left: She turns left 90 degrees

Right: She turns right 90 degrees

Around: She heads in the opposite direction

That's all the commands she's learned."

"She remembers all that?"

"Probably Leo. If she spent that much time with Julius, it's no surprise."

"What else does the diary say?"

Donnie turned the pages and read as fast as he could.

"We can give her more than one command, but you have to say it a certain way."

"A 'certain way'? How?" Po asked

"First, call her name. Then, give all the commands you want her to do. Finally, you have to say the word 'go' or she won't do it."

"She really is smart."

"Anything else?"

"Let me see here... (mumbles to himself) Ah! Here's something. 3/2: Spent the winter refining her ability to sort objects by scent. If she has an object in her mouth, she'll sniff, then drop what's in her mouth next to another object with the exact same scent."

"So for example: if we give her a mitten, and put a bunch of other objects near her, she'll sniff and figure which object has the same scent as the mitten?"

"Precisely."

"This diary really does talk about Isis. If we can gain her trust, she can help us with this mystery."

"Right, if Ollie hasn't shot her yet."

The last few pages had mentioned something called Pinevale Hospital. Julius had to get there regarding a fever and hurry back before Isis found out he left. Apparently, he and Isis have become real close during his time here.

"He must really love Isis with what he wrote."

"Yeah, he really does."

**Sound of growling**

(gasp)

"Aah!"

We turned and there she was. Looks like Ollie missed again. We also saw how she got in too: there was a hole near the door and it was big enough for her to come in and head out of.

"Isis! Stay!"

To our surprise, she did just what Tigress said. She stopped growling and obeyed her.

"Whoa! Tigress, how did you do that?"

"I just did what the book said. Called her name, gave her a command."

"But you didn't say 'go' and she still did it."

"Perhaps I just got lucky."

"Or maybe she trusts us."

I got closer to Isis and slowly held out my hand. I was shocked when I saw her rub her head next to it. The others tried, and she trusted them too.

"Guess she does trust us after all."

"It's strange, yet awesome at the same time." Po chuckled

"Let's look around and see what else we can find."

"Well, here's something."

We turned and saw Tigress looking a gold frame on the wall.

"Something fits in here, and it almost looks like a bone."

"Possibly, or maybe it's something else."

"Who knows?"

"Let's head back to the Lodge, maybe we can get some answers."

We tied on our snowshoes and as soon as we opened the door...

**Sound of Explosion**

"There goes another explosion."

"Oh joy." Tigress said sarcastically.

We then began making our way back to the Lodge. Along the way, we discovered a notebook.

"This is interesting."

"Think we can read it somewhere not here?"

"Yeah, let's read it back at the Lodge."

We made sure to get to the Lodge as quickly as possible and once we got through the entrance, we went to the bench.

"Hey, a note's here."

 _'Leo, meet me in the sauna in the basement. I have some interesting information for you.'_

"Sounds good to me. But first, let's read the notebook. We have some information right here."

When Tigress opened the notebook, right away we noticed 2 pictures of the Lodge. Those looked like some furniture, but where in the Lodge were these taken?

"Think someone's trying to make some money by ruining Chantal's business?"

"We can't rule it out."

The next page showed a diagram regarding the furniture in one of the pictures. There were measurements in length, width, height, and diameter. The next page however, we found something interesting.

"Look at that!"

 _'Possible sauropod scapula. Take to lap for precise ID'_

"Hey Tigress, isn't that-?"

"Yeah, the same shape back at the cabin. If this is the same shape, that object's gotta be like some sort of key."

"I'll go investigate on the computer, see if I can't find out what that thing is."

"You know guys, Isis could help us out here. If she trusts us, we can trust her to help us find out who owns this notebook."

"Oh, that's right! Her sense of smell. If we bring her an object everyone here at the Lodge has touched, we can use that to figure out who owns this notebook. We'll need objects from Ollie, Yanni, Bill, and Lou."

"In the meantime, i'll head to the sauna. See who left me that note."

"I'll come with you."

"Me too."

* * *

 **The truth about Bill Kesler**

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

Leo, Donnie, and Po went to the sauna in the basement, but not before stopping by Ollie's work desk and Yanni's station.

"Good thing Ollie isn't here, this red cloth will have his scent on it."

"Well it looks Yanni has good reason to be paranoid. Listen to this note I found on the floor: _'Leave this place NOW, or be prepared to leave it forever.' _Yikes."

"Hey guys, look at this."

Leo and Donnie came into the sauna, even though there was limited room. Po had pictures in his hands, pictures of a little boy elephant with a strange mark under his right eye.

"Pictures?"

"I know this birthmark. This is the same one on Bill Kesler's face."

SLAM! CLICK! HISS!

"Hey!"

Po tried to open the door, but couldn't do it.

"It's locked! Is someone out there?"

Not only that, but things started to get hot in there.

"Guys, is it just me or is it getting hot in here?"

"Yeah, it is getting hot."

"I know how to fix that though."

Donnie opened up a board and found the pipes for the cold water intake. The pipes were disconnected, which meant the heat was rising.

"If I can connect all these pipes, we won't burn up in here like a rotisserie chicken."

"Better hurry Donnie, things are getting hot here."

"I'm going as fast as I can."

Donnie worked as fast as he could in the heat before any of them passed out. He managed to get all the pipes connected and the cold water flowing again.

"Got it. Just in the nick of time."

"Good, now the only problem we have is the locked door."

Just then, the door opened up and Bill Kesler was standing at the door.

"Boys?"

"Mr. Kessler? What are you doing here?"

The boys came out as Bill backed out.

"I came down here looking for Ollie, but then I heard all this noise and thought I'd better check it out. The door got stuck again, huh. Say, you all look kinda bedraggled - are you all right?"

"We're fine, and we'll be even better once we have a little talk with you." Leo said in a stern tone. They cooled down, went back to the lobby, Leo and Donnie sat across from Bill, while Po sat on the couch. Leo placed the pictures on the table.

"Yeah, that's me. When I was a kid, this place was practically my second home. My late grandmother, Tily Wentworth, used to own it."

"So when you told me and Tigress, this was your first time here...?" Po asked

"I lied. See... About 2 years ago, just before she died, my grandmother sold this place to Albert Moique without telling anyone in her family. From what I've heard about Moique, I'm pretty sure he bullied her into selling. I think he cheated her and he cheated us and that it's high time somebody -"

"Taught him a lesson by, say, putting Icicle Creek Lodge out of business?" Donnie guessed

"I had nothing to do with that explosion, Lou's window, the food poisoning, the icy stairs - none of that stuff. You ask me, it's karma. The Moiques are just getting what's coming to them."

"Since you've spent lots of time here, do you know if there's a way to get inside Trapper Dan's Needle?"

"You know that pyramid thing on the table over there by the entrance to the dining room?"

"I've seen that every time I head to the kitchen. I thought it was just for decoration." Po said

"If you fool around with it until nothing but pigs show on the outside, this compartment'll open up and inside'll be this round magnetic thing that used to be Trapper Dan's special 'master key'. Just hold it up by the Needle and a hidden door'll pop open."

"Have you ever went inside Trapper Dan's Needle before?"

"No, my bratty cousin Elwood told me that it was filled with skeletons, and I never worked up the nerve to go in and see for myself. Maybe it is filled with skeletons. I mean, let's face it. Living all by himself, way out here in the wild, winter after long, dark winter - Trapper Dan was probably stark raving bonkers."

"Well we have to get going. Thanks for your time, Mr. Kesler."

"Also, thanks for getting us out of the sauna. The door was really stuck."

"Anytime fellas."

Kesler then took his glasses off and went to sleep since Lou Talbot wasn't around.

"Let's go see if that pyramid contraption actually does have a 'master key'."

They went to it and Donnie began 'fooling around' with it, until he got all the tiles showing the face of a pig. A secret compartment opened like Bill said, only nothing was in it.

"Empty? Oh come on, he lied to us."

"Either that, or someone else knew about it and got it before we did."

"Either way Leo, if it was in here, it's gone now."

"I'll go tell him."

Po went over to the elephant and woke him up.

"Huh? Oh hi."

"Sorry to wake you up, but you know, if you sleep during the day, it becomes to sleep during the night you know."

"I can sleep anytime, anywhere. That's what happens when you got a clear conscience."

"We opened up the pyramid like you said, but there was nothing in it."

"There wasn't? Oh. Well I'm afraid you're out of luck."

"Seriously? You're gonna be like that? Isn't there any other way?"

"Ya know, Grandma Tily once told me that if you turn the top of the pyramid 45 degrees, then fill all the boxes on the outside with one kind of animal, then another kind of animal until you do that for all four animals - she said if you do that, you'd find a journal in there written by Trapper Dan himself."

While Bill Kesler was explaining that to Po, Leo and Donnie were listening in and they already turned the top of the pyramid. Donnie managed to get the raccoon done first and was currently working on the wolf next.

"Did you ever read the journal yourself?"

"I was a kid. What would I want to read some crazy old coot's journal for?"

"Fair enough. Well, I'd better get going."

"Okie dokie."

Within seconds, he fell asleep like nothing ever happened. Po came up to the turtles and Donnie was halfway done, only two animals left.

"I take you guys heard that." Po whispered

"Yeah, if the journal is in here, we might get some answers."

"There. Only one animal left."

Donnie worked hard to complete the puzzle and once he got the last tile all worked out, another secret compartment opened up. It was a book with the name _'_ _Daniel Weisnitz'_ written on it.

"Who is this _'Daniel Weisnitz'_ guy?"

"Probably known as Trapper Dan himself."

"Maybe Trapper Dan was a more popular name."

"I can't wait to read this."

"Wait." Leo said and stopped Donnie from opening it.

"Why?"

"One: Tigress needs to see this as well. Two: we need to be somewhere subtle to read this, somewhere with less ears."

Donnie and Po nodded and Po hid the journal in his clothes. They went over to Tigress, who was still on the computer looking.

"What?"

"Take a look at this."

Po handed her the journal.

"What is this, a book or some... journal?"

"It's a journal, Trapper Dan's journal."

"Even though the front cover says _'Daniel Weisnitz'_ on it?"

"That's Trapper Dan's real name. Trapper Dan was a nickname."

"Huh, wonder what's inside."

But before she could crack it open, Leo stopped her by grabbing her paw.

"Hey!"

"Not here, not when someone could be watching or listening in."

"Oh, right. Where did you get this?"

"That's subtle intel. We could discuss this somewhere else, like say our room."

"Right."

They went upstairs and Donnie used the key to get into the room he and Tigress share and locked the door.

"Let's keep our voices down in case anyone listens in from the door."

"Agreed."

"What do you think he wrote about?" Po asked

"Who knows? All the answers will be in here."

Then, they cracked open the book.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	10. The End of Day 2

**New Secrets**

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

 _'A highee ho ho to you for discovering my secret journal! No doubt you already found my magnetic key that unlocks my needle and the rooms. Keep my secrets safe - especially from the Mounties and those rascally squirrels. Devious varmints!'_

"This guy may be a little nuts." Tigress said, and Po let out a small laugh.

Donnie turned the page and the pictures on the next two pages caught his attention.

"Whoa!"

"What is it?"

"Look at this."

He showed everyone the images.

"Is that a map?"

"Judging from the text... They're vaults and this is a map of what they look like. However, we won't be able to fit through them. We need an animal smaller than us."

"Like Isis?"

"Let's not cross that bridge yet. We still need to figure out how to get in."

"The journal has a way. 'The first thing you need to do is crack my cipher below - or just follow the Moose, Wolf, Racoon, and Mary!' Who's Mary?"

"Let me see the cipher."

Donnie handed her the journal and she looked at the rest of the message.

"Odds are, Trapper Dan came up with this code on his own. It's one that nobody knows how to crack."

"Yet."

She looked up at him.

"Nobody knows how to crack 'yet'. With our heads put together, we can crack this code."

"That's gonna be a long code to yet, Donnie."

"I've dealt with tougher. We'll handle it."

"Okay, you two do that. Po and I will figure out what else to do to crack this mystery."

Leo and Po left the bedroom and started going in the other rooms.

"Okay, we have one object: the rag Ollie uses. We need objects that Bill Kessler, Lou Talbot, and Yanni touched so Isis can sort the smells."

"Got it."

"I'll go look in Yanni's room."

Leo went into the room and began looking around for anything that could help Isis. When he checked the moose decoration on the wall, he put his hand on the antler and it moved a tiny bit.

"What the-?"

He pulled on it and a secret compartment opened up. It revealed a hidden radio and a coin.

"This radio must belong to Yanni, but what's he hiding it for?

Leo put the radio back and grabbed the Moose coin. He put in the pocket of his pants and left to go see Yanni. Once he saw Yanni...

"Hey Yanni, I need to ask you something."

"How can I help you?"

"There's a radio hidden in your room. Do you know about that?"

"How did you find out about that?"

"I was cleaning your room earlier, and when I cleaned the moose head, the antlers moved and the secret compartment opened up. Now you answer my question."

"I use that radio to communicate with my coaches. It's a special radio - it scrambles the signal so that my competitors cannot listen in."

"How did you know it was there?"

"The first night I was here, I searched for bugs, something which, due to the cunning of my competitors, I have become very good at. I discovered that by pushing on the moose eye, a compartment opened up. What I don't know is, did you really open that compartment by mistake, or were you up to something else? How do I know you are not working for them?"

"If I was working for the competition, why would I be telling you about the radio right now?"

"Who else have you told about the radio?"

"Nobody."

"I believe you. So if I find out that you're lying? Both of us will be very sorry."

"Got any proof your competitors are spying on you?"

"When one has enemies, it's prudent to assume that they are always close by. They are here, Leo. Make no mistake."

"Thanks for your time."

"Que veitchy naeia."

Leo then left the basement and saw Po coming down the steps.

"Didn't find anything."

"Well, there's one lead we have yet to follow."

"What's that?"

Leo pulled out his T-phone and displayed the picture he took back at the cabin.

"Oh yeah, that number."

Leo went to the counter and dialed the phone. He then put it on speaker.

**Phone ringing**

 _"You have reached the office of Dr. Nikki Sabatini, professor of geology at the University of Alberta Camrose. At the sound of the beep -"_

**Phone gets picked up**

 _"No, no, disregard all that. I'm here. Who's this?"_

"Hi, my name is Leo and I work here at Icicle Creek Lodge. I recently found a device that had your phone number, but it looked damaged."

 _"Describe the device."_

"It has a spike on one end of it and-"

 _"Well, I'll be darned. Where did you say you found it?"_

"Well... Someone's dog used it as a chew toy. She found it outside of a cabin somewhere. You know what it is?"

 _"It's a geophone. Someone stole a whole crate 'em from me when I was out in Skookum Ridge not too long ago."_

"What's a geophone?" Leo asked

 _"If you stick it into the ground, a geophone'll detect seismic waves and turn 'em into electric signals which are then transmitted to a computer so they can be recorded and eventually interpreted. It lets geologists like me make maps of mineral deposits and such without doing any digging. See, I was preparing to do a subsurface survey of the area using seismology. I set up camp, stored all my equipment in a trailer, went into town for supplies, and when I came back, the trailer had been broken into and all my geophones were gone. I was gonna be the first person to do a full geological survey of the Icicle Creek Lodge drainage and the ridges surrounding it. Got_ _grant money and everything. The person who ripped off my equipment sure screwed that up for me. If I ever get my hands on him? Ooo!"_

"You didn't see who stole your equipment?"

 _"It was snowing, so there were no tracks, so I don't know if he came by car, or snowmobile, or on foot or what. I'm assuming it was a guy, because he only took the geophones, so he must've known what they were and how to use them, and since not that many women are into explosives..."_

"Explosives?"

That got Po and Leo's attention, since explosions had been happening.

 _"The seismic waves the geophones detect are man-made. You detonate something on the surface of the ground, and the concussion creates seismic waves which bounce off different geological features differently, depending on the impedance of the feature. The reflected waves are what the geophones detect and transmit."_

"So, in other words, you have to blow things up to use the geophones?"

 _"Correct."_

"Interesting... So if someone were looking for valuable mineral deposits, they might use geophones to do it?"

 _"If someone had the technical expertise, yes. Although, reflection seismology is more typically employed to locate deposits of hydrocarbons, like oil and gas."_

"What types of minerals can be found near the Icicle Creek Lodge drainage?"

 _"All kinds of deposits - silver, lead, uranium, molybdenum... I love that word. Molybdenum. I think that's why I became a geologist, just so I'd have a reason to say molybdenum. Anyway, if you come across any more of my geophones, or anything that would indicate who stole them, please, please, please, let me know."_

"Will do, ma'am."

 _"Good."_

"Do you know anything about dino bones?"

 _"Precious little, I'm afraid. I know it's possible to find good specimens in Alberta, particularly in your area, but beyond that paleontology's not really my thing. All my paleo pals are currently off digging in the dirt on the other side of the world, so I'm afraid I can't refer you to anyone, either."_

"Are the bones good for anything?"

 _"Other than studying? If you're a scientist, no, but because they're obviously rare, a lot of people collect them. In fact, I understand there's a pretty big black market on them."_

"Black market? You mean people pay for dinosaur bones?"

 _"People pay big money for them."_

"Interesting. Well thank you for taking time to answer my questions."

 _"One more thing. All of my geophones were hard-wired to transmit at 990 kilohertz. So if you find any kind of receiver tuned to that frequency, check it out, because it could very well belong to the thief. Bye!"_

**Call is Disconnected**

"Well that certainly explains a lot."

"I may not understand all that geology talk, but I understood the part where they only work if you cause the explosions." Po spoke

"Yeah, all those explosions that have been happening, someone is digging for minerals around the Lodge. Question is who?"

"Whoever it is, they're also the causing accidents around here to cover it up. The sauna, stairs, lake incident, food poisoning."

"Someone's going to extremes. I wrote down the frequency Dr. Sabatini told us, and if she's right, her thief is our culprit."

"Let's tell Donnie and Tigress."

The two ran back upstairs to the room and knocked on the door.

 _"Who is it?"_

"It's us, Po and Leo."

Tigress opened the door and let them in. Once the door closed, Po and Leo filled them in the conversation they had with Sabatini.

"So the explosions is someone mining for mineral deposits."

"Without a doubt. That busted machine is a geophone and the vibrations it detects have to be man-made."

"Like an explosion going off."

"What about the incidents at the Lodge?"

"A cover-up so nobody finds out. Whoever knocked us out at the lake, they're the one causing the chaos."

"How's the decoding coming along?"

"Making progress, but not entirely there yet. This cipher is complex, more complex than we thought."

"As cold as it was earlier, I doubt it'll warm up enough for us to go out. We stay here at the Lodge."

"Right." the others said.

Leo and Po left again, but Leo went to the front desk and called Pinevale Hospital. He asked the answering nurse, Nurse Blake, about Julius McQuade (aka Trapper Dan). She remembered him well, but told Leo he died of Viral Pneumonia less than 24 hours after being admitted on Christmas Eve. They weren't able to locate next of kin since all he had was the clothes on his back.

"Thanks for the information, ma'am."

 _"Sorry the news couldn't have been better. Goodbye, dear."_

"Hey Leo, Got anything? I got squat."

"Yeah, Trapper Dan died of Viral Pneumonia less than 24 hours after being admitted in the hospital."

"So Isis doesn't have a companion?"

"At least until she met us."

"Anything else?"

"When I searched Yanni's room," Leo whispered "I found a radio hidden in the walls of his room. He says it's to communicate with his coaches so his enemies don't know. He was very suspicious of me when I told him I found it cleaning his room."

"Well the guy does have good reason to be skeptical."

"Yeah, well, why hide the radio?"

"Can't we ask him?"

"Not without him getting suspicious of us. For now, let's keep this a secret. We'll fill Donnie and Tigress in later, once they're done decoding the cipher."

"Right." Po then looked at the clock.

"I should get started preparing dinner for everyone. Oh, Leo, can you come with me for a sec?"

"Okay?"

Leo followed Po to the kitchen and when they were inside...

"Get these to Donnie and Tigress, and get their orders."

"Gotcha."

Po gave Leo a couple menus and he hid them in his clothes. He got them to Donnie and Tigress, they gave Leo written notes of their orders, and Leo got them to Po. Po made dinner for everyone and soon everyone was eating. While they were eating, Donnie slipped Leo a note that said: _"Almost done decoding. By tomorrow, we should have the cipher decoded."_ Leo showed Po the note and told him to keep silent about it.

Eventually night came and everyone went to sleep. By tomorrow, the Cluefinders should get some more answers on this case.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	11. Day 3: The cabin's secret

**Day 3**

 **Donnie's P.O.V.**

(ringing)

9:00 AM already? Man, that didn't feel like enough sleep.

"(yawns)"

(knocking)

 _"Donnie, Tigress? It's Po and Leo. You guys awake yet?"_

Tigress was still sleeping soundly, so I walked to the door and opened it up.

"You okay, Donnie? We came by an hour ago and you didn't respond."

"Didn't hear you knocking."

"Did you get some sleep, like I've told you before?"

"Before?"

"Donnie has a tendency to study overnight, that he forgets to get some sleep time to time."

"Not true."

"Last time it happened, he was up until 3 A.M. and he didn't wake up until 2 in the afternoon."

"What? (laughing)"

"In my defense, it was an invention for science class back in school."

"Exactly my point, you work through every last detail."

"What's with all the noise?" Tigress said. I looked and saw her coming to the door.

"How long were you two up last night?"

"At least until 1 A.M. last night. But we got the cipher finally decoded by then."

"Well, once you two are wide awake and clothed, fill us in okay? This is our third day here, so we gotta get this case cracked."

"Got it."

So I let Tigress get washed up first, and then I freshened up after her. Once we got our gear on, we let Leo and Po in our room and filled them in on the code: 'First things first. Locate my secret hideout in the mountains. It's so secret, you'll probably never find it - but if you do find my rex bone and use it in the wall of my hideout. That'll open up my secret lock. Then, match my wits with the infernal slot machine. Use the duck counter to match up all 3 animals. It helps to first put the same animals in a column and work from there.'

"Not only that, but all this talk about 'Mary' is referring to his pet pig." I added.

"A pet pig? This guy made a lot of animal friends."

"No kidding, Po."

"By the way, we snagged a washcloth from Yanni's room and Lou's room while doing the laundry. That's three objects with different scents: Yanni's washcloth, Lou's washcloth, and Ollie's rag."

"Yeah, Isis can help us with this."

"That just leaves us to find an object with Bill Kessler's scent."

"Honestly, I doubt Bill Kessler would do anything to damage Icicle Creek Lodge."

"What do you mean?"

Po filled Tigress in on what Bill told the boys after being trapped in the sauna regarding the pictures they found, and his past.

"So he knew more than he said."

"Yeah, but the guy swears he wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Maybe, but we can't rule him out yet."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. I found this."

Leo pulled out a coin with a moose on it.

"A moose coin? Wait a minute."

Donnie pulled out a raccoon coin that they found last night.

"We found this last night. The raccoon picture had a hidden compartment."

"How did you discover that?"

"While everyone was asleep at night, we decoded that there were four coins: a moose, wolf, raccoon, and pig. The raccoon coin was hidden in the picture, and the fire necklace on the display was connected to it. The locks on the doors for the guest bedrooms, they were also connected too. We matched the colors of the locks to the colors of the fire necklace and the hidden compartment under the raccoon picture opened up. So far we found 2."

"We think the hideout may hold more clues. The cabin where we met Isis."

"Then, let's head there."

We got on our outdoor gear and made our way to the cabin as fast as possible so we didn't freeze. Surprisingly, Isis was in there and she was happy to see us. She still trust us.

"Hey Isis, can you help us please? We need to know who's scent is on this book."

We gave her the notebook with the dino bone notes and she held it in her mouth. First, we gave her Ollie's rag

(sniffs)

But she didn't drop the notebook like Julius' notebook said she would.

"Shouldn't she be dropping the book?"

"Only if the scent's match Po, and this proves they don't."

"So the notebook's not Ollie's. What about Yanni?"

We placed the washcloth down...

(sniffs)

Nothing.

"Not Yanni's either."

"That leaves Lou. If this doesn't work, the notebook will belong to Bill."

We placed Lou's washcloth next to Isis...

(sniffs)

Then she dropped the book.

"Huh, so the notebook belongs to Lou Talbot." I deduced.

"Thanks Isis, you were a big help." Po said and he gave her some petting. She was happy with it.

"Okay, we should talk to Lou about this."

"I'll stay here. See if I can find any clues here."

"If she's staying, i'm staying with her." Po said.

"Alright then, Donnie, you're with me."

"Got it."

Me and Leo then left to go talk to Lou about that notebook. What's he doing with notes about dinosaur bones? Is he digging for them here?

* * *

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

Leo and Donnie went to go talk to Lou while Tigress and Po stayed at the cabin to investigate. When they arrived at the Lodge, they found something on the bench.

"Now what?"

"What are you talking about Leo?"

"This."

"A folder?"

"Usually, it means something is gonna happen in the near future."

Leo opened it up and it was information from Tino Balducci. It was about Lou Talbot and how he was arrested.

"Trespassing, vandalism, theft. Digging on private property... Dinosaur bones?"

"We need to have a word with him."

Leo and Donnie went and before going to the table, they stopped at the display cases. They found the same bone indentation there just like the one in the cabin.

"This is the same bone shape back at the cabin."

"Yeah, it's not here, but the shapes are the same."

Then, they saw Lou Talbot with Bill Kessler playing the Fox and Geese game like always.

"Hey Lou."

"What's up?"

"Think we can have the 'Rex bone' you borrowed from the plaque by the display case?"

"Dude. What makes you think I took some bone from some plaque?"

"Because you referred to it in your notebook, which we found out in the snow."

"Notebook?"

Leo then pulled the notebook out his coat.

"Someone who has a really good nose for such things is positive that it's yours."

"All right, here's the deal. There's a lot of people who collect stuff like fossils and dinosaur bones, okay? They pay big bucks for 'em, and it just so happens that paleontology's kinda my thing, so yeah, I collect bones and I sell 'em."

"So when you saw the stools over there, you knew they were dino bones and tried to unearth more out there."

"Except I haven't unearthed anything. I'm not the one making things go boom out there. I mean, I may've found a couple of good specimens in a couple craters, but I didn't make them. I don't know who did either."

He then pulled out the key to the closet in his room to prove his innocence and gave it to Leo.

"There. That's the key to the closet in my room. You want the bone from the plaque, go ahead and take it. Okay, dude. Excitement's over Whose move?"

Leo and Donnie went to Lou Talbot's room, used the master key to get in, and used the key Lou gave them on the closet door.

"Wow, look at all these bones Donnie."

"Lou's been one busy fox."

"Here's the one we're looking for."

They took the bone, locked the closet and the room. Then, they left the Lodge and went back to the cabin where Isis, Po and Tigress was.

"Hey guys, we got the bone."

"Really? Awesome!"

"How did you get it?"

"Apparently, Lou Talbot took it from the plaque earlier. He has some experience in paleontology and he's been digging for dino bones out here in Icicle Creek Lodge. But he swears he hasn't been blowing things up."

"We'll need more than just his word to prove that."

Leo went ahead and put the bone in the spot and a latch opened.

"What's this?"

"Now I understand what that meant from before?"

"What from before?"

"Trapper Dan's journal mentioned something about lining up animals in columns. These tokens are what it was referring too. If I move these tokens correctly and line up the fish, cats, and rabbits in the correct rows, we might discover another secret Trapper Dan mentioned."

Tigress rearranged the coins one by one, until eventually, she managed to crack it open. It revealed a secret passage filled with green lights.

"Whoa!" Everyone said.

"Let's see where it goes." Po said and went in first.

"Po, hold on!" Leo said and followed after him with Tigress and Donnie in tow.

"All these lanterns have rocks in them, but what's making them glow like this?"

"Man, my curiosity is getting the best of me. I wonder what's down here?"

Eventually, they reached what looked like a mine tunnel. There were mine carts, tracks, barrels, crates, the only thing missing was tools.

"Is this a mining tunnel?"

"Looks that way. You don't see mine carts unless you were mining something down here."

The Cluefinders came up to what looked like a panel and when they flipped the lid up, it revealed a maze.

"Looks like the map we saw back in the Journal."

Donnie pulled it out of his coat and flipped to the same picture in the journal.

"Yeah, this is a map of the vaults Trapper Dan mentioned from earlier. Of course, the vaults are too small for us."

"But not for Isis, look!"

The others turned and saw Tigress pointing to Isis, who was in the tunnels with them.

"She must've followed us in here."

"Well, she can definitely help us. She's the only one who can fit in that small space."

"Let me see here..."

Tigress studied the map and remembered the commands from Julius' diary. She then turned to Isis and said in a firm voice...

"Isis, Forward, Right, Left, Right, Jump, Go!"

Isis followed her commands, and the detectives watched the map. The green circles lit up to show where Isis was and where she was heading. She then reached the square with the up arrow on it and then...

(noises)

"What was that?"

"Sounded like something moved down here!"

They scattered to see what it was.

"Hey guys! Over here! There's a ladder down here."

Everyone followed Leo's voice and saw him pointing up to a ladder that went through a hole. They climbed up the ladder and followed the tunnel till they saw Isis and a rope pulley.

"Huh, wonder what this is doing here?"

When Leo had the rope in his hand, Isis came up and grabbed the rope. She then began pulling back on it as far as she could.

"Of course! 'Try pulling on the rope above the vaults.' Trapper Dan mentioned this." Donnie deduced

"What secret is it this time?"

"The pig coin. Pulling on this rope should reveal the coin's hiding place back at the Lodge and as long as Isis keeps pulling on the rope, I can get the coin."

"Go then. Head to the lodge and find it, we'll stay here. Once you find it, call us so we can let Isis know when to let go of the rope."

"On it."

Donnie ran back to the cabin as fast as he could, then traveled through the snow back to the Lodge and went to the pig head at the end of the hallway. The mouth was open and the coin was there.

"3 coins collected, just the wolf is left. That one's gonna be the toughest of all."

Donnie then used his T-Phone to call Leo.

"Found it Leo."

 _"Alright then, come back here. Let's see what else we can discover."_

"Got it. I'll be there soon."

Before Donnie left, he went to pay Ollie a visit.

"Hey Ollie, thought I'd drop by and see how you were doing."

"Well, Lou Talbot's gone, case you didn't know. Just up 'n left."

"As in left Icicle Creek Lodge for good?"

Ollie nodded yes.

"Oh boy, Chantal's not gonna like that."

"The good news, you're friends don't have to do the cooking anymore. I can handle it from here on out."

"Ok, well thanks for the heads up."

He then left the basement and called the others.

"Leo, I got some bad news."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**


	12. Closing the Case

**Nearing the end of the case**

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

"Okay, got it. Thanks, D."

"What was that?" Tigress asked

"(sighs) Lou Talbot left Icicle Creek Lodge. Packed up, and signed out."

"What!?"

"Oh great. First Lupe, now Lou. Who's gonna be the next to leave?"

"Chantal already has bad business with the accidents, how much more does she have to take?"

"No more, we need to close this case and fast."

Leo then looked at his T-Phone.

"We'll stay for a little longer, but then we gotta get back before it gets too cold."

"Right."

"Oh, and Po, Ollie said you don't have to cook anymore. He'll take care of it from now on."

"Aww, I enjoyed cooking."

The three of them then went back to the map of the vaults and guided Isis through the vaults so she pulled the 3 levers located inside. Once they did, they took a new path that had been previously blocked until the levers opened it up. They reached a door and next to it was a slot that had four openings. The openings were the size of the coins the detectives found around the Lodge: the moose, wolf, raccoon, and pig.

"A moose, raccoon, wolf, and a pig."

"The same animals Trapper Dan mentioned in his journal when it came to getting into the Needle without the key." Tigress added

"So the coins we found earlier-"

"Are how we're getting in. But we only have three. The moose, raccoon, and pig. We haven't found the wolf yet."

"Maybe it's back at the Lodge somewhere."

"Let's go find it. It will help us put this case to bed once and for all."

The trio went back to the cabin and before they went through the door, Po spotted something.

"Hold up, what's this?"

He reached down and grabbed a device of some kind.

"That's a Geiger counter."

"A what now?"

"It measures radiation. What's it doing here anyway?"

"Isis might've found it in here or outside. One thing's for sure, she's been chewing on it."

"How can you tell that Po?"

"Feel the bite marks?"

Po handed it over to Leo and when he grabbed, he could tell too.

"Oh yeah, she's been chewing on it."

Leo then gave it to Tigress.

"Wow."

They went back to the Lodge and when they got there, they warmed up and went to find Donnie. They found him playing Fox 'n Geese with Bill Kessler, but they noticed something on the table.

"Hey Donnie, how's the game going-? Whoa!"

"Surprised? I've been using this pig token instead of a fox token and whenever I win the game, depending on the spot, the nearest animal eyes light up. So far, I've gotten half of them lit up."

The raccoon and the pig eyes were lit up, so only the wolf and moose were left. Donnie aimed for the moose first and got the pig token back in the center. The object of the game was to surround the pig with the goose tokens so it can't escape. If there's an empty space behind a goose, the pig can jump over and gobble it up. When the pig was surrounded with no escape, Donnie won the round.

"All right, all that leaves now is the wolf eyes."

"I'll be heading upstairs."

Tigress began to leave, but when the others were out of view, she pulled out the Geiger Counter and turned it on. It began making static noises when she passed the basement, and got quiet when she went upstairs. She went back down the steps and went near the door, it started up again. When she opened the door and went down the first few steps, the beeping got louder. Luckily, there was a mute button on it. Even though it was silent, the number kept rising as she went down. When she went away from the steps, the number started dropping. She went back and examined each step starting from the bottom. She then found a loose board in the steps and pulled it open. She found exactly what they needed: the wolf coin for Trapper Dan's Needle.

"Gotcha!" She whispered.

She put the coin in her pocket and turned off the Counter. Once it was late, she and Donnie decided to go to bed a little early to make up for the lost hours of sleep. But not before telling him something.

"Hey Donatello." She whispered

"What is it?"

She held up the coin and Donnie's face lit up in shock.

"You had that?"

"Not until after we got back from the Cabin. When we saw you playing with Bill Kesler, I left a little bit after watching and used this."

She pulled out the Counter from the nightstand drawer.

"A Geiger Counter? I've heard of these back in science class and saw pictures. Never saw one in real life though."

"We found that at the Cabin, where Isis is. She been chewing on it too."

"Obviously explains these bite marks i'm feeling."

"Anyway, I used the counter and found the coin that way. We can explore the rest of the Needle and hopefully end this case."

"I hear ya. Let's all head to the Needle first thing tomorrow."

"Right."

She put the coin back on the nightstand, got back in the bed, and turned the lamp off.

* * *

 **Po's P.O.V.**

Oh, man! We're about to crack this case wide open. Tigress found the last coin and now, we have all the coins we need. We went back to the Needle through the secret passage in the cabin. Once we got there, we put the coins and opened up the door.

"Leo look!"

"A black snowmobiling outfit!"

"The same black we saw back at the lake before it blew up."

"Whoever this belongs to, that's our culprit."

"Not only that, it's missing a piece of some material."

"Probably the same material we saw in the Needle back on Day 1."

We walked into the room and started looking around. There was wooden carts, wooden crates, wooden barrels, tools, all kinds of stuff.

"Hey guys, there's a bag here."

We went over to Donnie and saw the bag he mentioned.

"Looks like a bag you take to school."

"Yeah, but this has a logo on it. It's... 'UC Brea'. That's the college Lou Talbot was going too."

"So this is his bag?"

Donnie opened it up and boy were we shocked with what we saw inside: bombs.

"Are those... bombs?"

"So Lou has been making those craters. He lied to us, he has been searching for dinosaur bones."

"He's not gonna get away with this."

Donnie then zipped up the bag and then- hold up.

(footsteps)

Are those footsteps?

"Hello? Is someone in here? Hello?"

We saw Yanni walk in.

"Leo?"

"Yanni? What are you doing here?"

"I was skiing, but when I passed the Needle, I saw that there was a door in it, a door which was open. So I took off my skis to look, and now I am here. What is this place?"

"All we know is that we found a bag - Lou Talbot's bag - and it's full of explosives."

"Lou is the one who has been blowing things up? He is the bomber?" Yanni had a little anger in that question, we could tell.

"He's been digging around here for dinosaur bones. He may be responsible for the other stuff that's been happening around Icicle Creek Lodge as well."

"You must stay here and guard the bag. I will ski back to the Lodge very quickly and tell the handyman to call the authorities. Then, I will return. You will be safe? Perhaps I should stay."

"No, you should go. We'll be fine, Yanni."

"I will hurry."

He then left to go warn Ollie. However, right when he reached the door, the thing on his arm fell off.

"Hey, he dropped something."

"I always wondered about that device on his arm." Leo said.

"Let me see."

I handed it over to Donnie so he could look at it.

(sounds of growling)

"Hey, she has the glove from Lou's suit."

But then she put it down on the ground.

"Hold up. What she just did means the scent on the glove and the scent on Yanni's arm device are the same, which means the person who's been wearing that suit and blowing stuff up is Yanni!"

"What?"

"I thought something about him felt suspicious."

"Why would Yanni go around blowing things up?"

"We can think about that later! If it's true, he just set another bomb and it's gonna blow up the Needle! We gotta get out of here."

"Isis! We have to get out of here, fast!"

We ran as fast as our feet could carry us and ran out the path Yanni came in. We managed to get outside into the cold snow before the explosion happened.

(explosion)

"Phew! That was too close for comfort."

(snowmobile revving)

"Is that a snowmobile I hear?"

"Yanni's getting away!"

(Isis howling)

(snowmobile revving, then slowing down)

"What in blazes happened here?"

There wasn't time to explain to Ollie. Yanni is getting away.

"No time to explain Ollie. We need to borrow the snowmobile."

I ran over to it and hopped on. I then felt someone grab me from behind.

"I'm coming with you, Po! Make sure you don't crash along the way."

Lucky thing the key was already in. I started the engine and started looking for Yanni.

"There!"

Tigress pointed and saw Yanni running away. I put the snowmobile in full speed and chased after Yanni. All these zig zags, twists and turns, he thinks he can ditch me that easily? It felt like it was gonna go on forever, until Yanni rode up a hill and when he jumped, the snowmobile started turning backwards.

CRASH!

"(gasp) Oh no...!"

"He didn't...!"

I pulled up next to the hill and Tigress climbed up to check on Yanni. She then went over and I started climbing. By the time I got up to the top, she was next to him.

"How is he?"

"He's okay."

Phew. What a relief. Glad he's okay, cause now he can answer for his crimes.

* * *

 **Epilogue**

 **Third Person P.O.V.**

Lying there in the snow defeated, Yanni came clean and confessed to everything. He tainted the potato salad with bad mayonnaise, iced down the back stairs, opened a gas valve in the sauna, blew up the bunkhouse using the clock from Guadalupe's room, and left pictures of Bill Kessler in the sauna for Leo, Donnie, and Po to cast suspicion on someone else. (Although he swears the door got stuck by accident) He did this in order to make everyone leave Icicle Creek Lodge. Why? He was secretly spying for the government of Fredonia, which had sent him to Canada to look for Uranium. His superiors hoped to secretly mine what he found and smuggle it back to Fredonia.

What they planned to do with it, even Yanni didn't know. But he insisted that he never meant to hurt anyone, and that he really was the best cross-country skier in the world. Unfortunately for him, he'll never get the chance to prove it now. Chantal had been busier than ever since she got back to the Lodge. Yanni's shenanigans made the nightly news not just in Canada, but the states too. As a result, people have booking stays with a vengeance. When the Cluefinders told Ollie and Chantal how much Isis helped them out, they were amazed. Hopefully, Ollie will think twice about pulling out his rifle every time he sees a 'varmint'.

As for Isis, Guadalupe called the Cluefinders that very night and told them she'd found a wolf sanctuary that could take her. The way the volunteers treated her when they came to get her, she'll be in good hands at her new home. But sadly, through no fault of her own, she can never run free again. They said it's 'possible' that she might someday be released back into the wild, but not very likely.

Leo, Donnie, Tigress and Po have their fingers crossed for Isis though. As a souvenir, they took a picture with Isis. All four of them with Isis in the center.

 **Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the story.**


End file.
